Treatment of Behçet disease

Behçet disease

Behcet’s disease, or Behcet’s syndrome, is a rare, non-contagious disease that causes inflammation in various areas of the body, including inflammation of the blood vessels (in English) Vasculitides, of various sizes, including Arteries or Veins. The disease spreads in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia regions, such as Japan, China, Turkey, and Iran.

In fact, there is no known cause of Behçet’s disease, and many scientists have attributed it to attacking the body’s immune system, known as autoimmune disorder. Some have argued that environmental factors, as well as genetic factors (Genetic factors) may play an important role in the occurrence, and some researchers believe that there is a specific virus or bacteria that stimulate the emergence of the disease in people who have genetic readiness. It is noteworthy that the disease affects women and men in their twenties and thirties and is often exacerbated in men.

Although there is no definitive treatment for Behçet disease, there are some drugs and treatments used to control the symptoms, which depend on the choice of the disease and its location in the body. It is worth mentioning that cases of mild disease rely on drugs that reduce the symptoms associated with the temporary illness ( Temporal Flares; only temporary exacerbations, while in severe cases other drugs – in addition to temporary seizure drugs – are used to control the symptoms of the disease at all times. The treatments used are divided into two categories:

Topical treatment

Topical Treatments are often used during the temporary illness, as we have already mentioned. Examples include:

Cream, gel and skin lotion: Which contains Corticosteroids (Corticosteroid), which reduces inflammation and pain when it is placed on skin ulcers and genital areas.
Mouthwash or lotion: Containing corticosteroids and other substances to relieve the pain of oral ulcers.
Eye drops: It is used in the case of mild eye inflammation. It contains anti-inflammatories such as corticosteroids, which will reduce the redness of the eyes and their pain.

Systemic or systemic therapy

Systemic Treatments are often used in moderate or severe cases, including:

Colchicine: Colchicine is used in cases where the patient does not respond to topical treatments and is often relied upon to treat infections, especially arthritis.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen are used to relieve arthritis.
Sulfasalazine: Sulfasalazine (Sulfasalazine) is effective in some cases of arthritis, and can be prescribed with corticosteroids in some cases of intestinal diseases.
Corticosteroids: Despite the side effects of corticosteroids such as weight gain, high blood pressure and osteoporosis, they have a high ability to reduce inflammation of the joints, skin, eyes, brain, and depending on the patient’s condition and complaint; corticosteroid is given as pills Or injections, such as prednisone, often described in conjunction with immunosuppressive drugs.
Immunosuppressive drugs: Immunosuppressive drugs are used in severe and severe cases of Behçet’s disease, such as cases in which the arteries, eyes and brain are greatly damaged. They reduce inflammation by stopping self-attacks on healthy tissues, such as azathioprine, Cyclosphosphide, Cyclophosphamide, Cyclophosphamide. This group of drugs has several side effects, most notably infection, liver and kidney complications, and high blood pressure.
Modified immune system response drugs: Such as interferon alfa-2b, which is used to control inflammation of the skin, joints and eyes caused by Behçet’s disease. Its side effects are fatigue and muscle pain similar to leukemia.
Antihypertensive drugs: It is used in difficult cases of the disease, such as cases of resistant eye inflammation (Resistant eye inflammation), and severe oral ulcers, which inhibit and prevent the protein responsible for the start of inflammation called tumor Tumor Necrosis Factor, This type of medicine is infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, and side effects are headaches and rashes.

Behçet disease symptoms

The symptoms of Behçet’s disease vary from patient to patient and vary depending on the parts of the body. The symptoms may appear and disappear on their own. The following are the most important parts of the body that are susceptible to Behçet’s disease:

Mouth: The most common symptom of Behçet’s disease is the painful mouth ulcers, known as Aphthous ulcers. These ulcers are similar to the ulcers that afflict ordinary individuals as a result of bruising or otherwise, but these ulcers in Behçet’s patients are more painful, More frequently, may appear singly or combined on the lips, tongue, and soles of the cheek, and need a week to three weeks to heal.
Skin: Skin Skin infections appear either in the form of ulcers similar to acne, called folliculitis, or in the form of painful red nodules that are higher than the skin, often appearing in the leg and ankle (Ankle), called erythema nodosum. , And often develop into skin ulcers.
Genitals Warts in the genital areas are particularly visible on the scrotum in men and on the vulva in women, where they are in the form of painful, open red ulcers, often leaving an impact or scars after healing.
Eyes: Eyes Inflammation in the front of the eye, called anterior uveitis, can cause pain, light sensitivity, blurry vision, redness of the eye, or inflammation in the back of the eye, called inflammation Posterior Uveitis, and is more dangerous to vision because it causes damage to the retina.
Joints: Knee, elbow, elbow, or wrist are affected by Behçet’s disease and appear as pain and swelling that can last from one to three weeks.
Vascular system: Vascular system Redness and pain accompanied by bulging in the hands or legs due to vasculitis due to clot, and complications such as aneurysms, constriction, or obstruction due to large arterial inflammation.
Digestive system Ulcers may appear along the digestive system, especially at the end of the ileum and the cecum. Symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea and bleeding may also be similar to inflammatory bowel disease.
Brain: Brain Encephalitis and the central nervous system are the most common symptoms of Behçet’s disease, and may include white matter of the brain (White Matter), resulting in head pain, disorientation, confusion, Stroke, and others. The disease may also affect the brain’s meninges, causing inflammation, called meningitis.