[Behcet's disease and joint affection].

AIM: To study joint pathology in patients with Behcet's disease (BD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The trial enrolled 183 BD patients (128 males, 54females, mean age 32.0 +/- 9.8 years, age at BD onset 22.3 +/- 9.9 years, mean duration of the disease 9.5 +/- 8.9 years. RESULTS: Joint pathology occurred in 74.8% patients, in 10.9% patients the disease onset was associated with arthritis and arthralgia. 3 patients had aceptic necrosis of the head of the femur and knee joint, 3 patients--bone marrow infarction. Knee joints were affected more frequently than others (up to 40%) followed by ankle, elbow and radiocarpal and other joints. In BD duration about 10 years, none of the examinees had stage III of sacroiliitis, stage II was diagnosed only in 4 patients, stage I (suspicion)--in 9. Significant sacroillitis was not registered, bilateral sacroiliitis occurred only in 9 patients. HLA B5 was detected in 61% patients while HLA B27--only in 9.7%. CONCLUSION: The articular syndrome was seen in 3/4 of BD patients. Arthritis runs a recurrent course. Erosive arthritis, sacroiliitis and combination of the latter with HLA B27 are rare.

[Vascular symptoms of Behcet's disease].

AIM: To characterize vascular symptoms of Behcet's disease (BD) in patients treated for the last 10 years in the Institute of Rheumatology. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Vascular symptoms of BD were studied in 151 patients with BD (mean age 33.5 +/- 9.5 years, duration of the disease 14.0 +/- 10.1 years, 104 males and 47 females, 67.4% carried HLA B51(5) antigen). Duplex vascular scanning was made to detect venous thrombosis. RESULTS: Thrombotic complications were found in 37 of 151 (24.5%) patients with BD (30 males and 7 females, mean age 37.1 +/- 9.1 years, mean duration of the disease 7.3 +/- 9.7 years). Venous thromboses prevailed (36 patients). Four males (2.6%) had arterial lesions: aneurysms of the iliac arteries (n = 1), thrombosis of the iliac artery (n = 1), pulmonary infarction and thrombosis of the pulmonary arteries (n = 2). Combination of venous and arterial manifestations occurred in 3 patients. One patient had thrombosis of the venous sinus, occlusion of the retinal vessels was diagnosed in 7 patients. CONCLUSION: Incidence of vascular disorders was observed in 1/4 of the patients. This corresponds to those observed worldwide and concerns venous thrombosis and other thromboses. Among the examinees, vascular disorders were associated with a young age, earlier development of thrombotic complications in males than in females.