Endothelial functions in Behçet's disease.

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Rheumatology
• Cardiology

Background:

• Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis affecting various vessels.
• Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is a known complication in BD patients.
• The role of vascular involvement (VI) in exacerbating ED in BD is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether endothelial dysfunction is more pronounced in Behçet's patients with vascular involvement compared to those without.
• To explore the relationship between plasma homocysteine levels, vascular involvement, and endothelial function in BD.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 65 BD patients (27 with VI) and 30 healthy controls were studied.
• High-resolution ultrasound assessed endothelium-dependent vasodilatation (EDVD) of the brachial artery.
• Plasma homocysteine levels were measured and correlated with EDVD and VI status.

Main Results:

• EDVD was significantly impaired in BD patients versus controls (P=0.001), irrespective of VI.
• No significant difference in EDVD was observed between BD patients with and without VI (P=0.07).
• BD patients exhibited higher plasma homocysteine levels than controls (P=0.001), with higher levels in the VI subgroup (P=0.03). No correlation found between homocysteine and EDVD.

Conclusions:

• Endothelial dysfunction is a consistent feature of Behçet's disease, independent of vascular involvement.
• Elevated homocysteine levels may be a contributing factor to endothelial dysfunction in BD.
• The findings suggest multifactorial etiology for ED in BD, potentially indicating early atherosclerosis and the need for structured risk assessment.