Behcet's (pronounced - buh.SETZ) disease was first described in 1937 by a Dr. Helusi Behcet, a professor of dermatolgy. Behcet's disease is found most commonly in the Middle East, Asia and Japan but it is relatively uncommon in Canada and the U.S.
Behcet's disease is now recognized as a rare, chronic, lifelong disorder that involves inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. Therefore it is a multi-system autoimmune disease characterized by vasculitis. It is thought to be this because of the way it inflames small blood vessels. It has the ability to mimic various other diseases such as MS, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Crohn's disease to name a few. Due to the way it manifest itself with so many confusing symptoms at various times, (flares and remissions) it is often mis-diagnosed.
This complex multisystem disease includes involvement of the mucocutaneous, ocular, cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urologic and central nervous systems as well as joints and blood vessels. Most of the symptoms are painful but not necessarily life threatening. They come and go in a series of attacks throughout life. The disease does not "burn itself out" but can sometimes level off. The flare ups may become less aggressive and may happen less frequently. Behcet's affects each person differently. Some people may have only mild symptoms while others have more severe debilitating ones. These may include blindness, stroke, meningitis, swelling of the spinal cord and intestinal complications.
Although Behcet's is incurable at the present, it does not mean that it's untreatable. Treatment is aimed towards individual symptoms as they occur. Medications are given to reduce inflammation, suppress the immune system and help to control pain.
The clinical course of Behcet's is variable even in the early stages, making it difficult to determine the patient's long-term prognosis. The disease usually runs a protracted course with attacks generally lasting for days or weeks but sometimes longer, and recurring more frequently early in the course of the disease. Spontaneous remission of symptoms is common for patients with Behcet's Disease and this can add to the difficulty in making the diagnosis. |
