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Gastrointestinal involvement in Behçet's syndrome: a controlled study
S Yurdakul1, N Tüzüner, I Yurdakul
1Department of Medicine, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Turkey.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
|March 1, 1996
Summary
Symptomatic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is uncommon in patients with Behçet's syndrome (BS). This study found no significant differences in diarrhea or rectal inflammation between BS patients and controls, suggesting IBD is not a common complication of BS.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Rheumatology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Behçet's syndrome (BS) is a multisystem inflammatory disorder.
- Gastrointestinal involvement can occur in BS, but its frequency relative to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not well-defined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of symptomatic IBD in patients diagnosed with Behçet's syndrome.
- To compare gastrointestinal symptoms and rectal histology in BS patients versus controls.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of 1000 BS patients for diarrhea history.
- Prospective survey of diarrhea history in 147 BS patients and 78 rheumatic disease controls.
- Rectal biopsy analysis in 75 BS patients, 47 controls, and 14 ulcerative colitis patients.
Main Results:
- Only seven of 1000 BS patients reviewed had diarrhea; none had IBD.
- No significant differences in diarrhea history were found between BS patients and controls in the prospective survey.
- Rectal mucosal histology showed no significant differences between BS patients and controls, unlike ulcerative colitis patients.
Conclusions:
- Symptomatic inflammatory bowel disease is not a common manifestation in patients with Behçet's syndrome, particularly those from Turkey.
- Gastrointestinal symptoms and rectal inflammation do not appear to be distinguishing features of BS compared to other rheumatic diseases.