What Is Behcet's Disease: Learn Its Symptoms, Causes, Prevalence and Management | Behcet's Connection

Behçet’s (pronounced beh-CHETS) Disease was discovered in Turkey by Hulusi Behçet, a dermatologist who noted the triad of aphthous oral ulcers, genital ulcers, and recurrent eye inflammation. Behçet’s Disease is often arrived at through a differential diagnosis that rules out other possibilities. Because of this, it’s frequently misdiagnosed and can take ~5 years from the onset of symptoms before a patient receives a correct diagnosis.^3,4

Prevalence of Behçet’s Disease

Behçet’s is also known as Silk Road disease because it is commonly found in countries along the ancient network of trade routes between the Mediterranean Sea and Japan, with the highest prevalence in Turkey.⁴

Estimated prevalence of Behçet’s disease by country^2,4,5

Estimated Prevalence of Behçet’s disease per 100,000 people by country^2,4,5

-1 per 100,000

People in New Zealand

-1 per 100,000

People in Austrialia

-1 per 100,000

People in China

-1 per 100,000

People in Russia

-1 per 100,000

People in Argentina

-1 per 100,000

People in Chile

-1 per 100,000

People in Brazil

-1 per 100,000

People in Colombia

-1 per 100,000

People in Islands

-1 per 100,000

People in Mexico

0.64 per 100,000

People in UK

1.53 per 100,000

People in Portugal

2.1 per 100,000

People in Kuwait

3.8 per 100,000

People in Italy

4.9 per 100,000

People in Sweden

5.2 per 100,000

People in US

5.6-7.5 per 100,000

People in Spain

7.1 per 100,000

People in France

7.6 per 100,000

People in Egypt

>15 per 100,000

People in Morocco

17 per 100,000

People in Iraq

20 per 100,000

People in Saudi Arabia

22 per 100,000

People in Japan (Hokkaido)

30.2 per 100,000

People in Korea

80 per 100,000

People in Iran

110 per 100,000

People in Northern China

146.4 per 100,000

People in Israel (Druze)

421 per 100,000

People in Turkey

PREVALENCE (10⁵)*

>100

51-100

11-50

1-10

<1

Newly or rarely reported countries

*Dot size reflects prevalence.

Help raise awareness of the
challenges of Behçet’s Disease and reduce the delay in diagnosis

Lack of disease information and awareness are factors that delay the diagnosis of many rare diseases.⁶ Raising awareness is the logical first step toward improving the lives of people with Behçet’s Disease. Sharing the information below via social media will help raise awareness of Behçet’s Disease and may even prevent a delay in its diagnosis.

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#BehcetsConnection

References:

1. Zeidan MJ, Saadoun D, Garrido M, Klatzmann D, Six A, Cacoub P. Auto Immun Highlights. 2016;7(1):4.

2. Cho SB, Cho S, Bang D. Yonsei Med J. 2012;53(1):35-42.

3. Alpsoy E, Donmez L, Onder M, et al. Br J Dermatol. 2007;157(5):901-906.

4. Leonardo NM, McNeil J. Int J Rheumatol. 2015;2015:945262.

5. Barnes CG. History and diagnosis. In: Yazici Y, Yazici H, eds. Behçet's Syndrome. Springer; 2010:7-33.

6. Stoller JK. Chest. 2018;153(6):1309-1314.

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Behçet's Disease (also known as Behçet's Syndrome) is a rare, chronic, multisystem, inflammatory disease

Prevalence of Behçet’s Disease

Estimated prevalence of Behçet’s disease by country^2,4,5

Estimated Prevalence of Behçet’s disease per 100,000 people by country^2,4,5

References:

Behçet's Disease (also known as Behçet's Syndrome) is a rare, chronic, multisystem, inflammatory disease

Prevalence of Behçet’s Disease

Estimated prevalence of Behçet’s disease by country2,4,5

Estimated Prevalence of Behçet’s disease per 100,000 people by country2,4,5

References:

Estimated prevalence of Behçet’s disease by country^2,4,5

Estimated Prevalence of Behçet’s disease per 100,000 people by country^2,4,5