Behcet's Syndrome

Also called: Behcet's disease

Summary

Behcet's syndrome is a disease that involves vasculitis, which is inflammation of the blood vessels. It causes problems in many parts of the body. The most common symptoms are:

Sores in the mouth
Sores on the sex organs
Other skin sores
Swelling of parts of the eye
Pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints

More serious problems can include meningitis, blood clots, inflammation of the digestive system and blindness.

Doctors aren't sure what causes Behcet's. It is rare in the United States, but is common in the Middle East and Asia. It mainly affects people in their 20s and 30s. Diagnosing Behcet's can take a long time, because symptoms may come and go, and it may take months or even years to have all of the symptoms. There is no cure. Treatment focuses on reducing pain and preventing serious problems. Most people can control symptoms with treatment.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Learn More

Behcet Disease (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center) Also in Spanish
Behcet Syndrome (National Cancer Institute)
Behcet's Disease (Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
Behcet's Disease (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Methotrexate (Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
Prednisone (Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center)
Research Provides More Insight into Genetic Basis of Behcet's Disease (National Human Genome Research Institute)
Uveitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
What Are Dilating Eye Drops? (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)

Genetics

Behçet disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Behcet Syndrome (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Topic Image

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Behcet's Syndrome is the National Human Genome Research Institute

Disclaimers

MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites. See our disclaimer about external links and our quality guidelines.