Esophageal Lesions in Intestinal Behçet's Disease

Abstract

Esophageal lesions are rarely seen in patients with intestinal Behçet's disease. Three patients with esophageal lesions (dissection of esophageal mucosa, esophageal ulcer, esophageal varices) were observed among 15 patients with intestinal Behçet's disease or non-specific simple ulcer (1974-1984). Two-thirds of these fifteen patients had fully developed or suspected Behçet's disease, and one-third had no symptoms typical of Behçet's disease. They are classified as non-specific simple ulcer. The average age of the 15 patients was 43 years, all patients but one were male. The recurrence rate after surgical treatment was 70%, that of medical treatment was 90%.

Gastrointestinal Manifestations of Behçet’s Disease

“…The morphological forms include erosions; aphthous, linear, or perforating ulcers; and widely spreading esophagitis [23]. Occasionally, there may be perforation, dissection, penetration, fistula formation, or pharyngeal stenosis causing dysphagia and obstructive airway symptoms [27][28][29][30][31]. Downhill esophageal varices may occur with superior vena cava obstruction [32], while classic varices may form with portal hypertension from portal or hepatic vein thrombosis.…”

A child with simple ulcer of the colon effectively treated with the combination of prednisolone, azathioprine, and pentoxifylline

“…Lesions are generally considered to be Behcet's disease if a nonspecific ulcer of the colon is observed with the typical clinical stigmata (e.g., recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, ulcerating genital lesions, skin manifestations, and inflammatory ocular lesions), and simple ulcer if such stigmata are not observed. 1,6 In this present case, the patient had only a recurrent oral lesion and no other symptoms. Therefore, the patient was finally diagnosed to have simple ulcer of the colon.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] The complications of perforation have been sporadically reported 5 and the recurrence rate of these ulcers after surgery, including intestinal Behcet's disease, is 70%, 6 which often results in a therapeutic dilemma. If simple ulcer of the colon occurs at a young age, such patients may suffer secondary complications due to inadequate nutrition and immunosuppressive drugs.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] However, differentiating this disease from Behcet's ulcer is often impossible pathologically, and the clinical course of simple ulcer may also prove difficult to manage because of resistance to conservative internal treatments and a high recurrence rate after surgical resection. [1][2][3]6 This article describes a 7-year-old girl with simple ulcer of the colon, who was effectively treated with prednisolone, azathioprine, and pentoxifylday by month) and salazosulfapyridine (1.5 g/day). After the treatment, her abdominal pain and fever disappeared and the C-reactive protein concentration immediately decreased, to less than 0.5 mg/dl in 2 weeks.…”

Rare Case of Esophagus Lesion in Pattent With Behcet’s Disease

“…Больна с 14 летнего возраста, когда впер вые стала отмечать рецидивирующие рубцу ющиеся язвы во рту с резкой болезненностью, сопровождающиеся подъемом температуры до могут проявляться эрозиями, распространен ным воспалением, перфоративными язвами, и тяжелым стенозом [8,10]. Гистологические исследования, как и в нашем случае, зачастую дем онстрировали лишь неспецифическое воспаление [8].…”