Behçet uveitis in the American midwest.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Rheumatology
• Genetics

Background:

• Behçet disease is a multisystem inflammatory disorder.
• It is most prevalent in individuals from the Silk Road regions.
• Ocular manifestations, such as uveitis, are common and can lead to vision loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical presentation and disease course of Behçet uveitis in patients of Silk Road and non-Silk Road descent.
• To assess the prevalence of Behçet disease in a US-based uveitis cohort.
• To evaluate the efficacy of systemic immunosuppression in managing ocular inflammation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of uveitis patients diagnosed with Behçet disease between January 1983 and July 2010.
• Patient data included demographic information, clinical manifestations (ocular and systemic), and treatment outcomes.
• Comparison of disease characteristics between patients of Silk Road origin and those of other ethnicities.

Main Results:

• Out of 6134 new uveitis patients, 36 met the diagnostic criteria for Behçet disease.
• Ten patients (28%) were of Silk Road origin; the majority (72%) were not.
• Retinal vasculitis was the most frequent ocular finding, followed by panuveitis and retinitis. Ocular and systemic features were similar across ethnic groups.
• Systemic immunosuppression was administered to 78% of patients, effectively reducing the rate of inflammatory attacks.

Conclusions:

• Behçet disease is infrequent in the midwestern United States, with a significant proportion of cases occurring in non-Silk Road individuals.
• Clinical and systemic manifestations of Behçet uveitis were comparable between ethnic groups in this cohort.
• Physicians should consider Behçet disease in the differential diagnosis of uveitis and retinal vasculitis, irrespective of a patient's ethnic background.