AB0226 Rheumatologic manifestations of behçet’s disease in tunisia. a monocenter study

Background Behcet’s disease is a systemic vasculitis characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers, and ocular inflammation, and which may involve the joints, skin, central nervous system and gastrointestinal tractRheumatologic manifestations are common in Behcet’s disease (BD). Joint manifestations take the third place after mucocutaneous and ocular lesions, they can inaugurate clinical feature. Objectives To define the epidemiology and clinical features of Behcet’s disease, giving special attention to unusual forms. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 50 files of patients with BD diagnosed between 1997 and 2008 in the department of internal medicine at Sahloul university-hospital. Results Thirty-three cases among 50 (66%) presented rheumatologic manifestations. Joint symptoms were inaugural in 38% of cases. Recurrent course was noted in 25 cases. Monoarthritis, oligoarthritis and polyarthritis were noted in respectively 36%, 30% and 35% of cases. Knee, ankle and wrist were the most frequently affected joints. Sarcoilitis was diagnosed in one single case. There wasn’t any sign of joint destruction on the X-ray images. Remission was obtained with symptomatic treatment in all cases. Conclusions Joint manifestations are common in BD in Tunisia. Arthritis usually heals without sequelae after symptomatic treatment, but may recur. Immunosuppressive therapy is unnecessary. Disclosure of Interest None Declared