When the clinician has to rely on disease phenotype alone for diagnosis: the example of Behçet’s uveitis

Abstract

AbstractBehçet’s disease (BD) is a complex inflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent inflammatory attacks in multiple organ systems There is no specific diagnostic test. Clinical diagnostic criteria have been developed based on the presence of characteristic ocular and systemic inflammatory manifestations. However, ocular lesions defined in the current sets of diagnostic or classification criteria are nonspecific. It is important to recognize characteristic features of BD uveitis because there are BD patients with other forms of uveitis by coincidence, and patients with typical ocular involvement but without systemic manifestations of the disease. The course of the disease is characterized by recurrent nongranulomatous uveitis attacks of variable severity. Transient nature of the acute inflammatory signs is the most important diagnostic clue. Transient retinal infiltrates and inferior peripheral pearl‐like precipitates are the pathognomonic findings that help differentiating BD uveitis from other causes of panuveitis and retinal vasculitis.