Behcet's disease
Definition :
Behcet's (beh-CHETS) disease, also called Behcet's syndrome, is a rare disorder that causes chronic inflammation in blood vessels throughout your body. The exact cause of Behcet's is unknown, but it may be an autoimmune disorder, which means the body's immune system mistakenly attacks some of its own healthy cells. Both genetic and environmental factors may be responsible for Behcet's disease.
The inflammation of Behcet's disease leads to numerous symptoms that may initially seem unrelated. The signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease — which may include mouth sores, eye inflammation, skin rashes and lesions, and genital sores — vary from person to person and may come and go on their own.
Treatment aims to reduce the signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease and to prevent serious complications, such as blindness.
Symptoms:
Behcet's disease symptoms vary from person to person. Behcet's disease may disappear and recur on its own. The signs and symptoms that you may experience depend on which parts of your body are affected by the inflammation of Behcet's disease. Areas commonly affected by Behcet's disease include:
Make an appointment with your doctor if you notice any unusual signs and symptoms that might indicate Behcet's disease. If you've been diagnosed with Behcet's disease, see your doctor if you notice any new signs and symptoms.
Causes:
Doctors don't know what causes Behcet's disease. However, a combination of genetic and environmental factors likely plays a role. Several genes have been found to be associated with the disease. Some researchers believe a virus or bacterium may trigger Behcet's disease in people who have certain genes that make them susceptible to Behcet's.
Complications:
Behcet's disease typically comes and goes in unpredictable cycles. Symptoms of the disease may become less severe after about 20 years.
Though treatment can't cure Behcet's disease, it often can control signs and symptoms and reduce the risk of complications. For instance, untreated uveitis can lead to decreased vision or even blindness. People with eye signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease should be carefully monitored by an eye doctor because treatment can help prevent this complication. Other complications of Behcet's disease depend on the specific set of signs and symptoms you're experiencing.
Treatments and drugs:
No cure exists for Behcet's disease. If your signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease are mild, your doctor may offer medications to control temporary flares in pain and inflammation. You may not need to take medication between flares. But if your signs and symptoms are more severe, your doctor may advise systemic medications to control the signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease throughout your body, in addition to medications for the temporary flares. Several factors, including your age and sex, may influence the specific treatment your doctor recommends.
Treatments for individual signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease
Behcet's disease may come and go on its own in periods of flares and remissions. Your doctor works to control any signs and symptoms you experience during flares with medications such as:
Severe cases of Behcet's disease require treatments to control damage from the disease between flares. If you have moderate to severe Behcet's disease, your doctor may prescribe:
Definition :
Behcet's (beh-CHETS) disease, also called Behcet's syndrome, is a rare disorder that causes chronic inflammation in blood vessels throughout your body. The exact cause of Behcet's is unknown, but it may be an autoimmune disorder, which means the body's immune system mistakenly attacks some of its own healthy cells. Both genetic and environmental factors may be responsible for Behcet's disease.
The inflammation of Behcet's disease leads to numerous symptoms that may initially seem unrelated. The signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease — which may include mouth sores, eye inflammation, skin rashes and lesions, and genital sores — vary from person to person and may come and go on their own.
Treatment aims to reduce the signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease and to prevent serious complications, such as blindness.
Symptoms:
Behcet's disease symptoms vary from person to person. Behcet's disease may disappear and recur on its own. The signs and symptoms that you may experience depend on which parts of your body are affected by the inflammation of Behcet's disease. Areas commonly affected by Behcet's disease include:
- Mouth. Painful mouth sores, identical to canker
sores, are the most common sign of Behcet's disease. Sores begin as
raised, round lesions in the mouth that quickly turn into painful
ulcers. The sores heal usually in seven to 21 days, though they do
recur.
- Skin. Skin lesions may occur in people with
Behcet's disease. Skin problems can vary. Some people may develop
acne-like sores on their bodies. Others may develop red, raised and
tender nodules on their skin, especially on the lower legs.
- Genitals. People with Behcet's disease may develop
sores on their genitals. The sores commonly occur on the scrotum or the
vulva. Sores appear as red, ulcerated lesions. The genital sores are
usually painful and may leave scars.
- Eyes. Behcet's disease may cause inflammation in
the eye — a condition called uveitis (u-ve-I-tis). In people with
Behcet's disease, uveitis causes redness, pain and blurred vision in one
or both eyes and may come and go. Inflammation that occurs in the blood
vessels of the retina is a serious complication of the disorder.
- Joints. Joint swelling and pain often affect the
knees in people with Behcet's disease. The ankles, elbows or wrists also
may be involved. Signs and symptoms may last one to three weeks and go
away on their own.
- Vascular system. Inflammation in veins and large
arteries may occur in Behcet's disease, causing redness, pain and
swelling in the arms or legs when a blood clot results. In fact, many of
the signs and symptoms of Behcet's are believed to be caused by
inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis). Inflammation in the
large arteries can lead to complications, such as aneurysms and
narrowing or blockage of the vessel.
- Digestive system. Behcet's disease may cause a
variety of signs and symptoms that affect the digestive system,
including abdominal pain, diarrhea or bleeding.
- Brain. Behcet's disease may cause inflammation in the brain and nervous system that leads to headache, fever, disorientation, poor balance or stroke.
Make an appointment with your doctor if you notice any unusual signs and symptoms that might indicate Behcet's disease. If you've been diagnosed with Behcet's disease, see your doctor if you notice any new signs and symptoms.
Causes:
Doctors don't know what causes Behcet's disease. However, a combination of genetic and environmental factors likely plays a role. Several genes have been found to be associated with the disease. Some researchers believe a virus or bacterium may trigger Behcet's disease in people who have certain genes that make them susceptible to Behcet's.
Complications:
Behcet's disease typically comes and goes in unpredictable cycles. Symptoms of the disease may become less severe after about 20 years.
Though treatment can't cure Behcet's disease, it often can control signs and symptoms and reduce the risk of complications. For instance, untreated uveitis can lead to decreased vision or even blindness. People with eye signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease should be carefully monitored by an eye doctor because treatment can help prevent this complication. Other complications of Behcet's disease depend on the specific set of signs and symptoms you're experiencing.
Treatments and drugs:
No cure exists for Behcet's disease. If your signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease are mild, your doctor may offer medications to control temporary flares in pain and inflammation. You may not need to take medication between flares. But if your signs and symptoms are more severe, your doctor may advise systemic medications to control the signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease throughout your body, in addition to medications for the temporary flares. Several factors, including your age and sex, may influence the specific treatment your doctor recommends.
Treatments for individual signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease
Behcet's disease may come and go on its own in periods of flares and remissions. Your doctor works to control any signs and symptoms you experience during flares with medications such as:
- Skin creams, gels and ointments. Topical medicines
are applied directly to skin and genital sores in order to reduce
inflammation and pain. These types of medications usually contain a
corticosteroid drug that reduces inflammation or an anesthetic to
relieve pain.
- Mouth rinses. Special mouthwashes that contain corticosteroids and other agents to reduce the pain of mouth sores may ease your discomfort.
- Eyedrops. Eyedrops containing corticosteroids or other anti-inflammatory medicines can relieve pain and redness in your eyes if inflammation is mild.
Severe cases of Behcet's disease require treatments to control damage from the disease between flares. If you have moderate to severe Behcet's disease, your doctor may prescribe:
- Corticosteroids to control inflammation.
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, in combination with other
medications may reduce the inflammation caused by Behcet's disease. The
signs and symptoms of Behcet's disease tend to recur when
corticosteroids are used alone, so doctors often prescribe them with
another medication to suppress the activity of your immune system
(immunosuppressives). Side effects of corticosteroids include weight
gain, persistent heartburn, high blood pressure and bone thinning
(osteoporosis).
- Medications that suppress your immune system.
Immunosuppressive drugs suppress your immune system, which overreacts in
Behcet's disease. By stopping your immune system from attacking normal,
healthy tissues in your body, immunosuppressive drugs reduce the
inflammation that your immune system causes. Immunosuppressive drugs
that may play a role in controlling Behcet's disease include
azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan), cyclosporine (Sandimmune) and
cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan). Since these medications suppress the actions
of your immune system, they may increase your risk of infection. Other
possible side effects include liver and kidney problems, low blood
counts and high blood pressure.
- Medication that regulates your immune system. Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A) regulates the activity of your immune system to control inflammation. It may help control skin sores, joint pain and eye inflammation in people with Behcet's disease. Side effects include flu-like signs and symptoms, such as muscle pain and fatigue. Interferon alfa-2b may be combined with other medications. More recently, small studies have suggested that medications that block a substance called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), such as infliximab (Remicade) and etanercept (Enbrel), may be effective in treating some of the manifestations of Behcet's.
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