Evaluation of clinical features and treatment responses in cardiac and vascular involvement of Behçet’s disease

OpenAlex İngilizce

Aim: Cardiovascular system (CVS) involvement stands as a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in Behçet's disease.We aimed to evaluate the clinical features and treatment responses in cardiac and vascular involvement of Behçet's disease.Material and Methods: This study was conducted as a single-center, retrospective clinical trial, focused on Behçet's patients with CVS involvement, analyzing patterns of CVS involvement, treatment modalities, and vascular relapse development.Results: Among the 271 Behçet's patients examined, 61 with CVS involvement meeting the study criteria were included.The median age at the first vascular attack was 31 years (range: 20-62), with 83.7% male (p<0.001).Venous involvement was in 49 patients (80.3%).Throughout the follow-up period, vascular relapse was observed in 36.4% (8/22) of patients under immunosuppressive (IS) treatment alone, 90.9% (10/11) under anticoagulant (AC) treatment alone, and 48% (12/25) under combined (IS+AC) treatment (p=0.025).Discussion: Our findings suggest that the addition of anticoagulant therapy to the treatment regimen of Behçet's disease patients with CVS involvement does not mitigate the risk of vascular relapse.However, the need for larger-scale studies on this subject is obvious.