Genetic and environmental factors in the development of Behcet's disease

Analysis of HLA antigens and case control study were performed in 50 patients with Behcet's disease. Frequency of HLA-Bw51 was significantly increased in the patients (52.0%) as compared to that in the control subjects (16.0%). In case control study, the incidence of tonsillitis, and use of public bath and a privy were more frequently seen in the patients than in the controls. The patients were frequently exposed to agricultural chemicals before onset of the disease. Daily ingestion of vegetable salad and milk was less frequent in the patients than in the controls. Heterogeneity of Behcet's disease and results of multivariate analysis for selected variables were discussed.