Age-related differences in the clinical phenotypes of Behçet's disease: The experience of two referral centers.

INTRODUCTION: Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic disease and frequently occurs during the second-fourth decades of life, although disease onset may be seen at any age. This study aimed to analyze the influence of age of onset on clinical manifestations of BD.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: This retrospective study analyzed two cohorts (pediatric and adult) to determine the association between the age of onset and clinical features in BD. Patients were classified into four groups to analyze the clinical characteristics according to the age of fulfilling the BD diagnostic criteria as follows: childhood-onset (<12 years), adolescent-onset (13-17 years), adult-onset (18-39 years), and late-onset (>40 years).

RESULTS: The study included 801 patients with BD. The male predominance, pathergy test positivity, aphthosis (oral or genital), skin and ocular involvement were higher among adult patients than pediatric patients. The presence of positive family history for BD, neuro-BD, and epididymitis were observed significantly common in the pediatric group.

CONCLUSION: Our highlights there may be differences in clinical manifestations with regard to the age of disease onset. Disease presentations may differ from the adult patients, and clinicians should be aware of the high familial aggregation rates of BD, especially in countries where the disease is endemic.