Clinical features of pediatric Behçet's disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the clinical features and outcome of Behçet's disease in the pediatric age group.

METHOD: Twenty cases within a pediatric age group whose ages differ from 5 to 15 years were studied retrospectively to determine the age of onset, the initial signs, and the progress of the disease.

RESULTS: In 18 of the patients whose average age were 13.3 years (5 to 18 years), the initial symptoms associated with Behçet's disease were oral aphtous lesions or genital ulcers. Among them, 16 developed ocular symptoms in a later stage, at an average of 15.5 years of age (11 to 18 years). Posterior uveitis was the most common manifestation, detected in 75% of the cases. Three patients had neurobehçet's disease, and the neurologic manifestations were dural thrombosis, pseudotumor cerebri, and quadriparesis.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, after an average 4 years' follow up (6 months to 13 years) the clinical progress of Behçet's disease in the pediatric age group was similar to that found in adult disease. Both the ocular signs (i.e., cataracts and glaucoma) and the systemic features (i.e., aphtous stomatitis, genital ulcers, erythema nodosum, arthritis, and neurologic signs) were manifested at the onset or during the progress of the disease.