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Behcet's Disease (BD)

Name of disease:

Behcet's Disease

ICD-10 diagnosis code:

M35.2

Causes:

At the moment, the exact cause of Behcet’s disease is not known

Mode of inheritance:

There is no clear pattern of inheritance, but only a small percentage of cases are reported in families

Prevalence:

12 – 33 / 1,000,000 in the US

Diagnosis:

The diagnosis of Behcet’s disease is based on clinical findings and judgement of a doctor. The criteria for diagnosis include recurrent oral ulceration, eye lesions, skin lesions an

Age of onset:

Adult in their 20s to 40s

Common signs and symptoms:

Mucous membrane lesion of mouth and genitals that tend to disappear and recur Inflammation of the eyes Retina inflammation leading to blurred vision or abnormal sensitivity to light (photophobia) Small and pus-filled growth of skin Pain and swelling of joint Abdominal discomfort to inflammation of large intestine with diarrhea due to ulcer in digestive tract Inflammation of blood vessels

Available treatments (medicinal and non-medicinal):

Current treatment is mainly directed towards the symptoms of patients. For recurrent ulcers, medications can be used to control the inflammation.

Disease management tips:

Recurrent inflammation of the eyes may lead to partial loss of vision or even complete blindness. Therefore, patients should comply with the medical treatment. Also, patients shall visit an eye specialist regularly to prevent complication and monitor if there is recurrent eye inflammation. Inflammation of blood vessels can be serious which may lead to formation of blood clots. Therefore, it is important to identify if there is the involvement of blood vessels inflammation among patients.

References:

Other useful websites:

More about the disease:https://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?Lng=GB&Expert=117 Patient groups: American Behcet’s Disease Associationhttps://www.behcets.com Behcet’s Connectionhttps://www.behcetsconnection.com