# What is Behçet's Disease?

Source page: https://www.kudretgozistanbul.com/en/blog/eye-diseases/what-is-behcets-disease

**Author:** Kudret Eye İstanbul | **Medical Approval:** Op. Dr. Mehmet Ali Özdil | **Date:** 2026-09-11

> **Summary:** Behçet's disease is a chronic, relapsing multi-organ condition described in 1937 by Prof. Dr. Hulusi Behçet, linked to auto-inflammatory vasculitis and a genetic predisposition (HLA-B51). It causes mouth and genital ulcers, skin, joint and eye problems, and its eye involvement (uveitis and retinal vasculitis) can lead to permanent sight loss without regular follow-up.

## Quick Facts
- **Most common age:** Between twenty and forty, when symptoms usually begin
- **Regions:** Frequent in Turkey, the Mediterranean countries and Japan
- **Sex:** Met more often, and more severely, in men
- **Diagnosis:** Clinical; mouth ulcers (aphthae) expected at least three times within a twelve month period
- **Medication length:** Set by the doctor according to the organs involved and the course of the disease
- **Contagious:** No

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## What is Behçet's Disease?
A chronic condition with flare-ups and periods of easing. As it advances it can affect the heart, blood vessels, lungs, joints, digestive system, kidneys and nervous system. It is rarer in children and older people.

## Causes
The exact cause is unknown. Genetic and environmental factors are involved: the body attacks its own tissues, producing lesions. It is more likely in carriers of the HLA-B51 gene region, and bacterial or viral infections raise the likelihood in people with a genetic predisposition.

## Symptoms
- **Mouth ulcers:** among the most common; start as a raised area then become painful sores like cold sores, on the cheek, palate, gums, lips and tonsils. Usually heal within one to three weeks, mostly without a mark.
- **Genital lesions:** also very common and highly recurrent; unlike mouth ulcers, around seventy per cent heal with scarring. Most often on the scrotum in men and the vulva in women.
- **Skin:** tender, red, raised sores; sometimes spot-like lesions hard to tell from acne.
- **Musculoskeletal:** joint inflammation in half of patients, mainly the knees, also wrists, ankles and elbows.
- **Eyes:** uveitis and retinal vasculitis, with redness, pain, light sensitivity, blurred vision or floaters, often in both eyes. Repeated attacks can cause permanent sight loss.

## Eye Involvement and Follow-Up
- Everyone diagnosed needs regular eye examinations, even without symptoms.
- Treatment is planned jointly by an ophthalmologist and a rheumatologist.
- During an attack: steroid eye drops and, where needed, immune-regulating medicines.

## Diagnosis
There is no definitive laboratory test; the diagnosis is clinical and can take time because symptoms overlap with other conditions. Radiological imaging and computed tomography may check for organ damage, and the medical history is reviewed.

## Treatment
There is no specific cure because the cause is not fully known; treatment follows the symptoms and the organs involved.
- Mouth ulcers: antiseptic mouthwashes and corticosteroid creams.
- Medication must be taken under doctor supervision, attending treatment regularly.
- Duration depends on the length of flare-ups and remissions and is set by the doctor according to the organs involved and the course of the disease; after stopping, signs are still monitored by specialists.

## Is it Contagious or Hereditary?
It is not contagious and does not pass through contact, since it arises when the immune system fails to recognise the body's own cells. It is not directly inherited, although genetic predispositions such as HLA-B51 increase the risk.