title: Behçet's disease and pregnancy: a retrospective analysis of course of disease and pregnancy outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Behçet's disease (BD) is a rare, chronic, multisystemic disease of unknown cause. BD is characterized by mucocutaneous, ocular, vascular and central nervous system manifestations and is also associated with thrombogenicity. In this retrospective analysis we investigated the relation between gestation and BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study consisted of 49 pregnancies in 24 patients with BD between January 2008 and June 2013. The following clinical and demographic data were obtained: maternal age, obstetric history, pregnancy outcome, and maternal and neonatal complications during pregnancy following diagnosis of BD. To avoid recall bias, the following data were collected only in the recent pregnancy of each patient: disease activity and use of medications during pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-three pregnancies occurred in this group and 52 of them were after the diagnosis. Mean age of the patients at diagnosis was 21.4 years. The duration of BD during pregnancy was 7.2 years. Fourteen patients (58.3%) had no symptoms during recent pregnancy. No change was observed in the disease activity during pregnancy in eight patients. Disease activity was aggravated in two patients. The rate of vascular complications was higher in pregnancies of patients with BD. The rates of stillbirth, pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery and intrauterine growth restriction did not differ between the groups. Perinatal mortality and neonatal intensive care unit admissions as well as low birthweight infants were also similar between groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with BD had a higher rate of vascular complications during pregnancy; however, other obstetric complications were not increased and neonatal outcomes were not negatively influenced by BD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Perinatology, Dr Zekai Tahir Burak Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cantekin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Iskender
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yasar
authors.forename: Oktay
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kaymak
authors.forename: Selen Taflan
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Yaman
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Uygur
authors.forename: Nuri
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Danisman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000209:etiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Behçet's disease; autoimmunity; intrauterine growth restriction; pregnancy; prenatal care