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Behcet’s Disease: Experience in a Tertiary Rheumatology Centre in Singapore and a Review of the Literature

2004; Academy of Medicine, Singapore; Volume: 33; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.v33n4p510

0304-4602

YK Cheng, Bernard Yu‐Hor Thong, HH Chng,

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research

Introduction: The only reported study on Behcet’s disease (BD) in Singapore found that only 15% of 34 BD patients managed at a tertiary dermatology centre had arthritis and 6% had eye complications with no other systemic manifestations. The aim of our study was to characterise the clinical manifestations and outcome of patients with BD at a tertiary rheumatology centre in Singapore. Materials and Methods: The International Study Group (ISG) and the O’Duffy (OD) criteria were used. The demographics, manifestations and outcome of our patients with BD were recorded. Results: Thirty-seven patients were included in our study. Twenty-three (62.2%) satisfied both ISG and OD criteria. Fourteen (37.8%) did not fulfil the ISG criteria but fulfilled the OD criteria and of these 6 were the incomplete form and 8 the complete form. The male to female ratio was 1:1.1. The mean age of onset of disease was 32.7 years (range, 15 to 58 years). The commonest presentations were recurrent oral ulcers (37, 100%), genital ulcers (24, 64.9%), joint (21, 56.8%) and cutaneous manifestations (18, 48.6%). The most common systemic manifestations were arthritis (16, 43.2%), gastrointestinal manifestations (15, 40.5%) and uveitis (13, 35.1%). There were 2 cases of Neuro Behcet’s and 2 cases of venous thrombosis. Visual impairment from uveitis was the commonest cause of morbidity. There were no deaths in our series of BD. Conclusion: BD is a relatively rare rheumatologic condition in Singapore. However, because its systemic complications are not rare, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential.