Young Children with Behçet Disease Have More Intestinal Involvement

• Published in: Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition Vol. 57; no. 2; pp. 225 - 229
• Main Authors: Hung, Chien‐Hui, Lee, Jyh‐Hong, Chen, Szu‐Ta, Yang, Yao‐Hsu, Lin, Yu‐Tsan, Wang, Li‐Chieh, Yu, Hsin‐Hui, Chiang, Bor‐Luen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD by European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology 01.08.2013; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Factors; Behcet Syndrome - pathology; Behçet disease; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; children; Endoscopy; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastrointestinal Diseases - epidemiology; Gastrointestinal Diseases - etiology; Genitalia - pathology; Humans; Infant; intestine; Male; Medical sciences; Mouth - pathology; Oral Ulcer - epidemiology; Oral Ulcer - etiology; Platelet Count; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Skin - pathology; Skin Diseases - epidemiology; Skin Diseases - etiology; Taiwan - epidemiology; Ulcer - epidemiology; Ulcer - etiology; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Taiwan; Human; Skin disease; intestine; Behçet disease; Stomatology; Gut; Cardiovascular disease; Metabolic diseases; Behçet syndrome; Genital diseases; Vascular disease; Eye disease; Vasculitis; children; Systemic disease; Gastroenterology; Child
• ISSN: 0277-2116; 1536-4801
• DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e3182936ec4

ABSTRACT Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in childhood Behçet disease (BD) is not well understood. We aimed to clarify the intestinal presentation in children with BD. Methods: Medical records of 85 children with recurrent oral ulcers between 1990 and 2010 at the National Taiwan University Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty of them who fulfilled the Mason and Barnes criteria for the diagnosis of childhood BD were enrolled. The clinical and laboratory characteristics were analyzed. Results: Among 20 patients, the median age at diagnosis was 13.2 years. The common presentations included oral ulcers (100%), genital ulcers (70%), skin lesions (65%), and GI symptoms (50%). Five of 10 patients with GI symptoms received endoscopic examinations and all had ulcers. Divided by the age of 10, patients younger than 10 years tended to have higher rates of GI symptoms initially and intestinal ulcers (P = 0.002 and 0.015, respectively). Platelet count was significantly lower in young patients (P = 0.0151). Patients without GI symptoms had higher rates of skin involvement than patients with GI symptoms (P = 0.019). Conclusions: Young children with BD tended to have more GI presentations. For children with BD younger than 10 years having GI symptoms, endoscopic examinations may be considered.