Registry of the Spanish network of Behçet's disease: a descriptive analysis of 496 patients.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical features of a large cohort of 496 Spanish patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and to analyse if patient's sex influenced the initial and cumulated prevalence of disease manifestations.


METHODS
Retrospective and descriptive study of 496 patients recruited in sixteen centres on the frame of the Spanish Registry of Behçet Disease Project Group. Demographic and clinical data are presented in addition to treatments and their related adverse effects. Clinical features at disease onset and during follow-up were compared according to the sex of the patients.


RESULTS
On the whole series, female to male ratio was 1.2:1.0. Mean age at disease onset was 28.7±12.6 years (range 17-73). Oral ulcers were the most frequent initial manifestation presented in 52.0% of patients. During follow-up, eye inflammatory disease was recorded in 45.1% of patients; thrombosis in 19.7% and central nervous system involvement in 13.5%. Men had higher prevalence of ocular involvement and venous thrombosis (52.5% vs. 39.2%, p=0.004 and 26.3% vs. 9.6%, p<0.001, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Spanish patients with BD presented similar clinical characteristics as their counterpart in the same geographical area and other world regions. In addition, we confirmed that ocular and vascular involvements are more frequent in men than in women.
Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitario Mutua Terrasa, Terrasa, Barcelona, Spain. mrodriguez@mutuaterrassa.es.
Mónica
M
Rodríguez-Carballeira
Marco A
MA
Alba
Roser
R
Solans-Laqué
Maria Jesus
MJ
Castillo
Raquel
R
Ríos-Fernández
Jose Ramon
JR
Larrañaga
Agustín
A
Martínez-Berriotxoa
Gerard
G
Espinosa
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents