title: Bone mineral density in patients with Behçet's disease.
abstract: Behçet's disease is a complex, multisystemic, inflammatory disorder characterized clinically by recurrent oral and genital ulcerations as well as uveitis, sometimes leading to blindness. The etiology and pathogenesis of this syndrome remain obscure. However, various factors are suspected, including genetic propensity, infectious precipitants, and immunological abnormalities. Considering the chronicity and unclear etiology of the disease, we conducted a prospective investigation of a possible alteration in the bone mineral density of affected persons. Thirty-five patients (18 males and 17 females, mean age 38.02+/-7.93 years) diagnosed with Behçet's disease and 33 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (14 males and 19 females, mean age 40.06+/-7.66 years) were seen on an outpatient basis, and bone densitometry measurements were done from June 2000 to December 2002 at the Mersin University Hospital in Turkey. Postmenopausal women with Behçet's disease and patients receiving oral corticosteroid therapy were excluded from the study. The mean disease duration was 6.68+/-7.05 years. Bone mineral density was measured with dual X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and right femur. The mean Z scores of the patient and control groups were -0.50+/-1.06 and -0.13+/-0.92 at the lumbar spine, respectively, and 0.38+/-1.07 and 0.45+/-1.20 at the right femur, respectively. No significant differences in bone mineral density values were detected in the groups at either the lumbar (P = 0.15) or right femur (P = 0.82) site. Body mass index and disease duration did not influence bone mineral density, and age had a positive correlation with bone mineral density in patients with Behçet's disease. In conclusion, although it is difficult to draw definite conclusions due to the relatively small sample size, our study confirms that bone mineral density in Behçet's disease was not lower than in healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mersin University School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey. alibicer@mersin.edu.tr
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bicer
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tursen
authors.forename: Tamer Irfan
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Caner
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Handan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Camdeviren
authors.forename: Guliz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ikizoglu
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Erdogan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution