Behçet's disease: A review of the ophthalmologic findings reported in Behçet's original descriptions

Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic disease characterized by the onset of oral aphthae, genital ulceration, skin lesions, and uveitis. Although it seems that the first description of this disease was made by Hippocrates in the 5^th century BC, the Turkish dermatologist Hulusi Behçet in 1937 proposed the association of oral and genital ulcers and uveitis as an expression of a distinct disease. This review aimed to critically examine the first descriptions by Hulusi Behçet and compare the clinical ocular findings he reported between 1937 and 1940 with those observed in the current era. No significant changes have been observed over time regarding gender distribution, mean age at onset, bilaterality, and occurrence of posterior/panuveitis, while the occurrence of hypopyon seems to decrease and that of anterior uveitis to increase. In Behçet's works, it is possible to find a quite a detailed description of many of the common clinical features of this disease, based on the observation of a few cases, and without the aid of modern ancillary technologies. Finally, in recent reports, there is no adequate acknowledgment of Behçet's first observations.