title: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Behçet disease: a case-control study in Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases have been reported to be associated with the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is characterized by central obesity, elevated triglycerides (TG), reduced high-density lipoproteins (HDL), impaired fasting blood glucose (FBG), and hypertension. Behçet disease (BD) is a chronic, immuno-inflammatory disease with multisystemic involvement.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for MetS in patients with BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients had BD according to the criteria of the International Study Group. Diagnosis of MetS was established according to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. Mean waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), FBG, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol, HDL, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), TG, systolic BP, and diastolic BP were measured and analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 86 patients and 72 healthy controls were included. MetS was detected in 35.4 % of patients and 20 % of controls (p = 0.04). Patients with BD had a 2.67-fold higher risk for MetS than healthy controls (p < 0.05). Significant risk factors for developing MetS according to multivariate analyses were BD, age, and BMI. Age at onset of the disease, duration of disease, BMI, gastrointestinal system involvement, and neurological involvement were correlated with increased MetS risk (p < 0.05). MetS tended to increase with age and the duration of the disease and was higher in women under the age of 40 years compared with healthy controls in the same age group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All BD patients should be closely monitored for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus to avoid MetS development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Turkey, yalcinbasak@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Başak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yalçın
authors.forename: Güneş
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gür
authors.forename: Ferda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Artüz
authors.forename: Nuran
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Allı
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology