Urologic screening for men with Behçet's syndrome

To establish the urologic status of men with Behcet's syndrome, because studies assessing the urologic aspect of Behçet's syndrome are rare.

During a 2.5-year period, we evaluated 104 male patients with Behçet's syndrome, 16 to 50 years old (mean 31+/-7), using a urologic questionnaire and modified Boyarsky symptom score; 44 healthy men, 20 to 46 years old (mean 29+/-7), were used as control subjects.

The frequency of epididymitis in patients with Behçet's syndrome was 19.2% in this study. The mean irritative symptom score was 1.22+/-1.37 (significantly higher than the control group). The frequency of lower urinary tract symptoms (eg, dysuria, urgency, nocturia, terminal dribbling, and intermittency) was significantly higher in patients with Behcet's syndrome.

In this study, the frequency of epididymitis in men with Behcet's syndrome was much higher than previously reported. Because some lower urinary tract symptoms were significantly more frequent in these patients, we conclude that screening of such patients with urologic questionnaire and symptom scoring is essential to identify those who need further urologic evaluation.