Renal involvement in Chinese patients with Behcet's disease: a report of 16 cases

To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of renal involvement in Behcet's disease (BD).

A retrospective analysis was carried out in BD patients complicated with renal damage who were hospitalized in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from June 1998 to July 2012.

There were 16 BD patients with renal involvement, accounted for 2.6% of all the 618 hospitalized BD patients. The presentation of renal disease was chronic glomerulonephritis in six patients (including one with nephritic syndrome), renal tubular acidosis in one patient, renal artery stenosis in eight patients and renal vein thrombosis in one patient. Renal biopsy was performed in five patients, three of whom revealed to have minor glomerular lesions, mild mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and chronic tubular-interstitial nephropathy, respectively. The other two patients underwent a second biopsy, the one with minor glomerular lesion in the first biopsy was transformed into grade III immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy on Lee's glomerular grading system 6 years later, and the other one who had IgA nephropathy of grade II in the first biopsy was progressed to grade IV 2 years later. Among the nine patients with renal vascular involvement, two underwent surgery, and several received anticoagulant therapy. During the follow-up of 13 patients, the urine protein quantifications were reduced, and renal function remained relatively stable.

Renal damage is relatively uncommon in BD patients. There are various clinical presentations of renal involvement in BD. Routine screening with urinalysis, serum creatinine and imaging studies should be carried out for the early diagnosis of renal involvement in BD.