Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Ophthalmological Manifestations in Behçet’s Disease: Study of 50 Patients of a Series of 120 Patients in a Region in Northern Spain

Alba Herrero-Morant¹, Guillermo Suárez-Amorín¹, Rosalia Demetrio-Pablo¹, Lara Sánchez-Bilbao¹, Carmen Álvarez-Reguera¹, David Martinez-Lopez¹, Raul Fernandez¹, José Luis Martin-Varillas², Cristina Mata-Arnaiz³, Miguel Ángel gonzalez-Gay⁴ and Ricardo Blanco⁵, ¹Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain, ²Hospital Sierrallana, Torrelavega, Spain, ³Hospital Laredo, Santander, Spain, ⁴Research group on Genetic Epidemiology and Atherosclerosis in Systemic Diseases and in Metabolic Bone Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System, IDIVAL, Division of Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla; School of Medicine, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain. Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Genomics Research Unit, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, ⁵Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2021

Keywords: Behçet's Syndrome, Epidemiology, Vasculitis

Session Information

Date: Monday, November 8, 2021

Session Title: Epidemiology & Public Health Poster III: Other Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases (1022–1060)

Session Type: Poster Session C

Session Time: 8:30AM-10:30AM

Background/Purpose: Ophthalmological involvement is one of the most feared manifestations of Behçet’s disease.The aim of this study was to define the main demographic and clinical features of ophthalmological involvement in a well-defined cohort of patients with Behçet’s disease.

Methods: Descriptive study of a cohort of 120 patients diagnosed with Behçet’s disease from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2019. Finally, following the 2014 International Criteria for Behçet’s Disease (ICBD) (J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2014; 28:338-47) 94 patients were chosen for this study.

Results: 50 patients (28 men/22 women; male to female ratio of 1:0.8) had ocular involvement. Mean age at diagnosis was 37.6±11.8 years. Mean ICBD score was 5.8±1.3 points. Neurological involvement was the most frequent manifestation in this group. Genital ulcers were more frequent in the non-ophthalmological involvement group. Systemic clinical domains are shown in Figure.

The most frequent ocular manifestations were uveitis (n=44, 88.0%), retinal vasculitis (n=5, 10%) and dry eye (n=5, 10%). Likewise, the most frequent type of uveitis was anterior (n=17, 38.6%), followed by posterior uveitis (n=14, 31.8%). 26 (59.1%) of all uveitis were unilateral. Panuveitis was more frequent among patients under 60 years. Similarly, anterior uveitis was predominant in patients older than 70 years. There were no remarkable differences between genders. Main clinical features are shown in Table.

Conclusion: Ophthalmological involvement in Behçet’s disease was more frequent in men. Uveitis and retinal vasculitis were the most frequent ocular manifestation. No remarkable differences in clinical features were observed between genders.

Figure: Comparison between clinical domains in patients with and without ophthalmological involvement

Table: Clinical characteristics of ocular Behçet’s disease

Disclosures: A. Herrero-Morant, None; G. Suárez-Amorín, None; R. Demetrio-Pablo, None; L. Sánchez-Bilbao, None; C. Álvarez-Reguera, None; D. Martinez-Lopez, None; R. Fernandez, None; J. Martin-Varillas, None; C. Mata-Arnaiz, None; M. gonzalez-Gay, None; R. Blanco, Brystol Myers Squibb, 6.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Herrero-Morant A, Suárez-Amorín G, Demetrio-Pablo R, Sánchez-Bilbao L, Álvarez-Reguera C, Martinez-Lopez D, Fernandez R, Martin-Varillas J, Mata-Arnaiz C, gonzalez-Gay M, Blanco R. Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Ophthalmological Manifestations in Behçet’s Disease: Study of 50 Patients of a Series of 120 Patients in a Region in Northern Spain [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021; 73 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/epidemiology-and-clinical-features-of-ophthalmological-manifestations-in-behcets-disease-study-of-50-patients-of-a-series-of-120-patients-in-a-region-in-northern-spain/. Accessed January 27, 2023.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/epidemiology-and-clinical-features-of-ophthalmological-manifestations-in-behcets-disease-study-of-50-patients-of-a-series-of-120-patients-in-a-region-in-northern-spain/