Behçet's Disease of the Eye
On this page:
- Other Names
- What is Behçet's disease?
- What causes Behçet's disease?
- What are the symptoms of Behçet's disease?
- How is Behçet's disease treated?
- What is the prognosis for someone with Behçet's disease?
- NEI-Supported Research
- Resources
- Medical Literature
This information was developed by the National Eye Institute to help patients and their families in searching for general information about Behçet's disease. An eye care professional who has examined the patient's eyes and is familiar with his or her medical history is the best person to answer specific questions.
Other Names
Adamantiades
What is Behçet's disease?
Behçet's disease is an autoimmune disease that results from damage to blood vessels throughout the body, particularly veins. In an autoimmune disease, the immune system attacks and harms the body's own tissues.
What causes Behçet's disease?
The exact cause is unknown. It is believed that an autoimmune reaction may cause blood vessels to become inflamed, but it is not clear what triggers this reaction.
What are the symptoms of Behçet's disease?
Behçet's disease affects each person differently. The four most common symptoms are mouth sores, genital sores, inflammation inside of the eye, and skin problems. Inflammation inside of the eye (uveitis, retinitis, and iritis) occurs in more that half of those with Behçet's disease and can cause blurred vision, pain, and redness.
Other symptoms may include arthritis, blood clots, and inflammation in the central nervous system and digestive organs.
How is Behçet's disease treated?
There is no cure for Behçet's disease. Treatment typically focuses on reducing discomfort and preventing serious complications. Corticosteroids and other medications that suppress the immune system may be prescribed to treat inflammation.
What is the prognosis for someone with Behçet's disease?
Behçet's is a chronic disease that recurs. However, patients may have periods of time when symptoms go away temporarily (remission). How severe the disease is varies from patient to patient. Some patients may live normal lives, but others may become blind or severely disabled.
NEI-Supported Research
The National Eye Institute is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of Zenapax in controlling recurrent eye inflammations associated with Behçet's disease. Zenapax was previously studied in 10 patients with uveitis with positive results. The patients were able to reduce the other medicines they were taking with minimal side effects. This study is currently recruiting patients. For additional information, please contact NIH Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office at 1-800-411-1222.
Resources
Resources can be found in the National Eye Institute's Eye Health Organizations Database.
For additional information, you may also wish to contact a local library.
Medical Literature
For information on your topic, you may wish to conduct a search of the medical literature. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) coordinates PubMed, a computerized medical literature database. You can conduct your own free literature search by accessing PubMed through the Internet. For help on how to search PubMed and how to get journal articles, please see PubMed Help. You may also get assistance with a literature search at a local library.
Please keep in mind that articles in the medical literature are usually written in technical language. We encourage you to share articles with a health care professional who can help you understand them.
