This is an early access version
Behçet’s disease is a systemic, chronic, idiopathic inflammatory illness of unknown etiology with a recurrent course, manifested by a characteristic triad: recurrent aphthous stomatitis, ulcerative changes in the mucous membranes and skin of the genital organs, and inflammatory changes in the eyes. In addition, the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, vascular system, genitourinary tract, and cardiopulmonary system can be affected, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. A prolonged period typically elapses between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis of Behçet’s disease due to variable and sometimes intermittent symptoms, the need to rule out clinical mimics of disease onset, the absence of a specific blood test or disease marker, and, unfortunately, a general lack of awareness about the condition.
We present a case of a 35-year-old male patient with a clinical diagnosis of Behçet’s disease featuring mucous membrane involvement (recurrent aphthous stomatitis), joint involvement (polyarthralgia) of the knees and elbows, and polyneuropathy of the lower extremities manifesting as reduced sensitivity without functional impairment, of moderate severity; subacute phlebothrombosis of the superficial veins of the left lower extremity in the recanalization stage, and chronic venous insufficiency stage I without circulatory impairment.
A low incidence of Behçet’s disease, combined with its involvement of various systems and organs, complicates diagnosis and precludes early treatment. The collection, systematization, and detailed analysis of available clinical cases will facilitate the development of improved diagnostic and treatment algorithms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.