The epidemiology of Behçet's disease in Brazil: a study in Goiânia and its metropolitan area

The goal of this study is to evaluate the epidemiology of Behçet's disease (BD) in the city of Goiania and its metropolitan area.

This epidemiological study had a cross-sectional design. Patients who had a diagnosis of BD living in the metropolitan area of Goiânia and with at least one medical appointment in 2022 were included. All rheumatologists working in public and private practice were invited to participate.

A total of 73 BD patients were included. The mean age at symptom onset was 32.1±12.8 years and the median age at diagnosis was 33.0 years [interquartile range (IQR): 26.0-45.0]. The median time between symptom onset and BD diagnosis was 3.0 years (IQR: 2.0-9.0). Only three (4.1%) patients were diagnosed before the age of 18. The female-tomale ratio was 3.3:1.0, and most patients came from private practices (64.4%). The racial/ethnic composition was reported as follows: White (57.5%), Mestizo (35.9%), Black (4.1%) and Indigenous (2.7%). In 2022, the prevalence of BD was 4.52 cases/100,000 in Goiânia and 3.27 cases/100,000 in the greater Goiânia area. Over the past 10 years, the estimated incidence of BD has ranged from 0.14 to 0.45 cases/100,000/year in Goiânia, and from 0.14 to 0.38 cases/100,000/year in the greater Goiânia area.

The prevalence of BD in Goiânia and in its metropolitan area is higher than that previously reported in Brazil. At diagnosis, BD patients were predominantly adults and the disease mostly affected females, as well as Whites and Mestizos.