Ulcerative Colitis Followed by the Development of Behçet’s Disease

• Published in: Internal Medicine Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 243 - 247
• Main Authors: KOBASHIGAWA, Tsuyoshi, OKAMOTO, Hiroshi, KATO, Junko, SHINDO, Hironari, IMAMURA, Tetsuo, IIZUKA, Bun-ei, TANAKA, Masanori, UESATO, Masashi, OHTA, Shu-ji, TERAI, Chihiro, HARA, Masako, KAMATANI, Naoyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine 01.03.2004; Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
• Subjects: Adult; Behcet Syndrome - complications; Behcet Syndrome - diagnosis; Behçet’s disease; Biological and medical sciences; Colitis, Ulcerative - complications; Colitis, Ulcerative - diagnosis; Colitis, Ulcerative - pathology; Colon, Sigmoid - pathology; Colonoscopy; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; gastrointestinal involvement; General aspects; Humans; inflammatory bowel diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Other diseases. Semiology; Rectum - pathology; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Stomatitis, Aphthous - complications; ulcerative colitis; Disease development; Skin disease; inflammatory bowel diseases; Stomatology; gastrointestinal involvement; Cardiovascular disease; Behçet syndrome; Genital diseases; Inflammatory disease; Vascular disease; Medicine; Eye disease; Behçet's disease; Vasculitis; Systemic disease; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease; Ulcerative colitis
• ISSN: 0918-2918; 1349-7235
• DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.43.243

A 34-year-old man who had a history of ulcerative colitis (UC) was admitted to our hospital with complaints of arthralgia, erythema nodosum, recurrent oral aphthous ulcers and bloody stools. A colonoscopy revealed multiple aphthous ulcers on his cecum and colon and also revealed a transmural ulcer on his rectum consistent with a diagnosis of UC. The patient was HLA-B51 positive. Based on clinical evidence [recurrent oral ulcers, skin lesions (erythema nodosum), positivity for pathergy test] this patient was diagnosed as having Behçet’s disease with gastrointestinal involvement. We describe this rare case of Behçet’s disease with colitis and discuss the difficulties in making a differential diagnosis between Behçet’s disease and the inflammatory bowel diseases.