S Benamour1, B Zeroual, F Z Alaoui. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Inb Rochd University Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To gain additional knowledge on the joint manifestations of Behçet's disease, with special attention to unusual forms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of 340 cases with joint manifestations identified among 601 cases of Behçet's disease seen over a 15-year period. All the patients met International Study Group for Behçet's disease criteria. Radiographs of all joints with arthritis were obtained. Starting ten years ago, a radiograph of the sacroiliac joint was taken routinely. RESULTS: Joint manifestations were present in more than half the patients (56.57%) and were inaugural in 18.23% of cases. The knees and ankles were the joints most commonly affected. Monoarthritis and oligoarthritis were seen in 16.17% and 11.76% of cases, respectively and polyarthritis involving the large limb joints and the small joints of the hands and feet in 17.05% of cases. Unusual forms included polyarthritis with deformities and/or destruction (n: 8, including two patients who also met criteria for rheumatoid arthritis), pseudogout (n: 5), popliteal cyst (n: 3, including one case imitating deep vein thrombosis), myositis (n: 1), spondylarthropathy (n: 5), and Sjögren's syndrome (n: 2). Children were more likely than adults to have joint manifestations (73.68%) and polyarthritis (35.7%). CONCLUSION: Joint manifestations are common in Behçet's disease. Their unusual forms deserve to be known since they can raise diagnostic problems when they are inaugural.
OBJECTIVES: To gain additional knowledge on the joint manifestations of Behçet's disease, with special attention to unusual forms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of 340 cases with joint manifestations identified among 601 cases of Behçet's disease seen over a 15-year period. All the patients met International Study Group for Behçet's disease criteria. Radiographs of all joints with arthritis were obtained. Starting ten years ago, a radiograph of the sacroiliac joint was taken routinely. RESULTS: Joint manifestations were present in more than half the patients (56.57%) and were inaugural in 18.23% of cases. The knees and ankles were the joints most commonly affected. Monoarthritis and oligoarthritis were seen in 16.17% and 11.76% of cases, respectively and polyarthritis involving the large limb joints and the small joints of the hands and feet in 17.05% of cases. Unusual forms included polyarthritis with deformities and/or destruction (n: 8, including two patients who also met criteria for rheumatoid arthritis), pseudogout (n: 5), popliteal cyst (n: 3, including one case imitating deep vein thrombosis), myositis (n: 1), spondylarthropathy (n: 5), and Sjögren's syndrome (n: 2). Children were more likely than adults to have joint manifestations (73.68%) and polyarthritis (35.7%). CONCLUSION: Joint manifestations are common in Behçet's disease. Their unusual forms deserve to be known since they can raise diagnostic problems when they are inaugural.