No abstract

We surveyed the 10-yr mortality among 152 Behçet's syndrome (BS) patients who had registered at a BS out-patient clinic and compared it to the expected mortality in the general population. Information on mortality was available in 79% of the study group, among whom six patients (all males) had died. The observed mortality of two patients in the 15-24 yr age bracket was significantly above that expected in the general population. BS is a cause of increased mortality in the young male patients

Objective. To assess the effect of azathioprine (MA) treatment on long-term prognosis in Behget's syndrome.Methods. Patients (all male) who took part in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of AZA a mean f SD of 94 f 10 months previously were reevaluated.Results. The emergence of blindness (log rank 2 = 5.6, P = 0.02) and a 2-line drop in the visual acuity of the right eye (log rank 2 = 5.9, P = 0.015) occurred significantly more frequently among the patients originally allocated to the placebo group compared with patients who originally received M A , despite posttrial treatment for patients in both groups when needed. There was also a trend toward more frequent occurrence of extraocular complications in the placebo group. The beneficial effect of AZA was especially pronounced among patients who had eye involvement of short duration prior to their entry into the trial.Conclusion. Early treatment with M A tends to favorably affect the long-term prognosis of Behget's syndrome.

Objective-To determine the prevalence of acneiform skin lesions (comedones, papules, and pustules) in patients with Behçet's syndrome (BS) with arthritis. Methods-Study groups included 44 patients with BS with arthritis (32 men, 12 women, mean (SD) age 37.8 (8.9)), 42 patients with BS without arthritis (31 men, 11 women, mean age 35.5 (6.4)), 21 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (five men, 16 women, mean age 48.8 (14)), and 33 healthy volunteers (28 men, five women, mean age 40.1 (8.1)). All probands and controls were examined by a rheumatologist and a dermatologist, in a prospective and masked protocol. An ophthalmological evaluation was performed if necessary. Skin lesions, including comedones, papules, and pustules, were counted and scored as 0: absent, 1: 1-5, 2: 6-10, 3: 11-15, 4: 16-20, and 5: >20. Results-Although there was no significant diVerence between the four groups in the prevalence of comedones, the number of papules and pustules was significantly higher in patients with BS with arthritis (p=0.0037 for papules and p<0.0001 for pustules) than in the remaining three groups. Conclusion-Acneiform skin lesions (papules and pustules) seem to be more frequent in patients with BS with arthritis. This suggest that the arthritis seen in BS may possibly be related to acne associated arthritis.