Hand involvement in Behçet's disease

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Immunology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder.
• Hand involvement in BD is often underrecognized.
• Understanding the prevalence and characteristics of hand manifestations is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the clinical presentation of hand involvement in Behçet's disease.
• To assess scintigraphic changes in the hands of BD patients.
• To explore the relationship between disease duration and hand manifestations.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 57 BD patients and 40 controls underwent detailed hand examinations by blinded rheumatologists.
• Clinical assessments included pain, swelling, erythema, deformities, and muscle atrophy.
• Scintigraphic imaging of the hands was performed for both patients and controls.

Main Results:

• Over half of BD patients (56.1%) exhibited clinical hand findings, including terminal phalangeal pulp atrophy (29.8%) and rheumatoid-like changes (28.1%).
• Scintigraphic abnormalities were detected in 42.1% of BD patients.
• A longer disease duration was significantly associated with both clinical hand findings (P=0.040) and scintigraphic involvement (P=0.011).

Conclusions:

• Hand involvement is highly prevalent in Behçet's disease and correlates with disease duration.
• Thorough clinical examination of the hands is essential for accurate BD evaluation.
• Scintigraphic findings in the hands of BD patients warrant careful consideration.