Behçet uveitis in the American midwest.
OBJECTIVE
Behçet disease is most common in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa (Silk Road). The authors compare clinical presentation and course of Behçet uveitis in patients of Silk Road and non-Silk Road descent.


METHODS
Retrospective review of patients evaluated at the University of Illinois January 1983-July 2010.


RESULTS
Of 6134 new uveitis patients, 36 with available medical records met diagnostic criteria for Behçet disease. Ten (28%) were of Silk Road origin. Retinal vasculitis was the most common ocular manifestation, followed by panuveitis and retinitis. Ocular and systemic manifestations were similar between groups. Seventy-eight percent were treated with systemic immunosuppression, which reduced inflammatory attack rate.


CONCLUSIONS
Behçet disease is uncommon in the midwestern United States. Three-quarters of patients in this series were not of Silk Road descent. Physicians should consider the diagnosis of Behçet disease in any patient with retinal vasculitis or uveitis regardless of ethnicity.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
Omar A
OA
Saleh
Andrea D
AD
Birnbaum
Howard H
HH
Tessler
Debra A
DA
Goldstein
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014606:Uveitis, Anterior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult