title: Comparison of clinical features of Behcet disease according to age in a Tunisian cohort.
abstract: Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic inflammatory disease that occurs most often between the second and fourth decade of life. Patients have been reported during the first months of life and after 70 years. Our objective was to determine the clinical, paraclinical and genetic characteristics of BD in patients aged < 20 and > 40 years. We conducted a comparative retrospective study including patients with BD (Criteria of International Study Group on BD). Patients were divided into two groups: those < 20 years (Group one) and those > 40 years (Group two). The clinical, paraclinical and genetic (HLA) characteristics were determined and compared in the two groups. The data were compiled and analyzed using SPSS 11.0. Thirty totals of 430 patients were included. Group one included 81 patients (55 men and 26 women). Group two included 68 patients (45 men and 23 women). Cutaneous involvement (88.9 versus 76.5%; P=0.043), pseudofolliculitis (84 versus 64.5%; P=0.004) and vena cava thrombosis (11.11 vs 0%; P=0.004) were significantly more frequent in group one while joint involvements were more common in group two (57.4 versus 40.7%; P= 0.043). The frequency of erythema nodosum as well as ocular, vascular and neurological disorders was comparable between the two groups. Few studies in the literature have compared the clinical, paraclinical and genetic characteristics of BD, who had first symptom onset after 40 years of age. Late-onset BD, usually, affects both genders equally. According to present results, the frequency of severe organ involvement is equal regardless of age, except for vena cava thrombosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. hamzaoui.amira@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Amira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamzaoui
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. hamzaoui.amira@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jaziri
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. hamzaoui.amira@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Thouraya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ben Salem
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. hamzaoui.amira@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Said Imed Ben Ghorbel
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. hamzaoui.amira@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Mounir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lamloum
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. hamzaoui.amira@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Monia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smiti Khanfir
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. hamzaoui.amira@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Houman Mohamed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014416:Tunisia; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult