J Korean Med Sci.  2009 Feb;24(1):52-56. 10.3346/jkms.2009.24.1.52.

The Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Esophageal Involvement in Patients with Behcet's Disease: A Single Center Experience in Korea

• Yi SW
• Cheon JH
• Kim JH
• Lee SK
• Kim TI
• Lee YC
• Kim WH

• KMID: 1794406
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2009.24.1.52

Abstract

While a significant amount of clinical information has been reported concerning intestinal involvement in Behcet's disease (BD), esophageal involvement in BD has not yet been studied extensively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of esophageal involvement in BD and its clinical characteristics. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 842 patients diagnosed with BD at a single tertiary institution in Korea between January 1990 and June 2006. Of the 842 patients with BD, 129 patients (15.3%) experienced upper gastrointestinal symptoms that required inspection through esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Esophageal involvement was found in 6 (4.7%) of the 129 patients. The activity index of Behcet's disease did not differ among patients with or without esophageal involvement. All patients with esophageal involvement responded well to medical treatment and no one experienced serious complications. The results of our study demonstrate that the prevalence of esophageal involvement in BD is very low and that most patients with such involvement face few complications and respond well to medical treatment.

Keyword

Behcets Disease; Esophageal Ulcer; Intestinal Behcet's Disease; Endoscopy

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Behcet Syndrome/*complications/diagnosis/epidemiology
Child
Child, Preschool
Endoscopy, Digestive System
Esophageal Diseases/diagnosis/epidemiology/*etiology
Female
Humans
Korea
Male
Medical Records
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Esophageal involvement of Behçet's disease. A 53-yr-old woman with known Behçet's disease complained of intermittent epigastric pain. Endoscopic examination revealed a small punched-out, active ulceration in the distal esophagus of the patient.

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