Behcet colitis

Abstract

Behcet disease (BD) is a chronic, multisystem, inflammatory disease characterized by variable clinical manifestations involving systemic vasculitis of both the small and large blood vessels. The majority of BD patients present with recurrent oral ulcers in combination with other manifestations of the disease, including genital ulcers, skin lesions, arthritis, uveitis, thrombophlebitis, gastrointestinal or central nervous system involvement. Gastrointestinal BD occurs in 3 to 25% of the BD patients and shares many clinical characteristics with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Consequently, the differentiation between IBD and gastrointestinal manifestation of BD is very difficult. Intestinal BD should be considered in patients who present with abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and rectal bleeding who are susceptible or at a risk for intestinal BD.

Keywords: Behcet disease; colitis; inflammatory bowel diseases.

Fig. 1

Computerized tomographic scanning shows a complex inflammatory mass without abscess or perforation in the cecum of a patient with gastrointestinal Behcet disease.

Fig. 2

Colonoscopy in a patient with gastrointestinal Behcet disease shows a mass with ischemic ulceration: (a) the ascending colon with (b) close proximity to the ileocecal valve.

Fig. 3

Right colon and terminal ileum surgical specimen from a patient with gastrointestinal Behcet disease shows focal ulceration in the proximal ascending colon consistent with ischemic ulcer.