Behcet’s is a rare and unusual chronic multisystem inflammatory autoimmune disorder. It is a form of vasculitis that causes blood vessel inflammation throughout your body in all sorts of different ways. Behçet’s is not contagious.
While rare in North America and Europe, it is more common in the Middle East and Asia. In Turkey, for example, about 2 per 1,000 are affected. Onset is usually in a person’s 20s or 40s. The cause is unknown but studies do suggest that some people may have a genetic predisposition to the condition.
At first, it can start with many symptoms that can seem unrelated. They can include sores (that look similar to canker sores) on the mouth and tongue, acne, eye inflammation, lesions on your skin, joint swelling, genital sores, headaches, disorientation, and more.
There is no cure. Treatment involves anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medication, among others.
Diagnosis is based on multiple episodes of mouth sores in a year together with at least two of the following: genital sores, eye inflammation, skin sores, a positive skin prick test.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/behcets-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20351326
https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/behcets-syndrome/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beh%C3%A7et%27s_disease
