Frequency of clinical manifestations of Behçet's syndrome in patient's referring to Isfahan Al-Zahra Hospital during 1998-2008

Behçet’s disease was initially described by Behçet as a triad of symptoms, including recurring oral ulcers, recurring genital ulcers, and ocular involvement. The aim of this study was to evaluate frequency of Behçet’s clinical manifestations in patients referring to Isfahan AL-Zahra Hospital during the ten-year period of 1998‒2008. In this descriptive survey, files of patients with Behçet’s syndrome were reviewed in Al-Zahra Hospital during 1998‒2008. Data regarding age, gender and prevalence of oral, genital, and cutaneous manifestations, and also arthritis, intestinal involvement, and thrombophlebitis were extracted. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistical tests using SPSS software. The frequencies of clinical manifestations were: oral manifestations, 78%; ocular lesions, 28%; genital lesions, 26%; arthritis, 19%; skin involvement, 16%; gastrointestinal involvement, 13%; thrombophlebitis, 1%. The manifestations were most common in the 31‒41 age group. Male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1. At present, Behçet’s syndrome is known as a multisystem disease with various manifestations. In this study oral manifestations were the most frequent symptoms in Behçet’s syndrome. Males were more commonly afflicted compared to females.