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Cardiovascular involvement in Behçet's disease.
Cemil Gürgün1, Ertugrul Ercan, Ceyhun Ceyhan
1Department of Cardiology, Ege University Medical School, Ege University Medical School, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.
Japanese Heart Journal
|September 14, 2002
Summary
Cardiac involvement in Behçet
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Rheumatology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Cardiac involvement in Behçet's disease is not well-documented.
- Behçet's disease is a multisystem inflammatory disorder with potential cardiovascular complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define the incidence and nature of cardiac involvement in Behçet's disease.
- To investigate cardiac structural and electrical abnormalities using echocardiography and electrocardiography.
Main Methods:
- 35 Behçet's disease patients and 30 controls underwent transthoracic/transesophageal echocardiography and ECG.
- Evaluated for interatrial septum aneurysm, mitral valve prolapse, mitral regurgitation, and aortic dilatation.
- Assessed QT dispersion and signal-averaged ECG for ventricular repolarization abnormalities.
Main Results:
- Behçet's patients showed higher incidences of interatrial septum aneurysm (31%), mitral valve prolapse (25%), mitral regurgitation (40%), and aortic dilatation.
- Significantly greater mean QT dispersion and corrected QT dispersion were observed in Behçet's patients.
- Positive signal-averaged ECG parameters (late potentials) were found in 51% of Behçet's patients vs. 3% of controls.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac involvement in Behçet's disease is common, involving structural changes like aortic and valvular abnormalities.
- Increased QT dispersion and positive late potentials indicate diffuse cardiac involvement and repolarization disturbances.
- Echocardiography and ECG are crucial for detecting cardiac manifestations in Behçet's disease.