Value of Certain Echocardiographic Findings in the Initial Suspicion of Behçet's Disease

• Published in: Echocardiography (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2014-09, Vol.31 (8), p.924-930
• Main Authors: Farouk, Heba, Chilali, Karim El, Said, Karim, Sakr, Basma, Salah, Hania, Mahmoud, Geilan, Sorour, Khaled
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; aortic regurgitation; Behcet Syndrome - complications; Behcet Syndrome - diagnostic imaging; Behcet Syndrome - therapy; Behçet's disease; Diagnosis, Differential; dilated aortic root; Early Diagnosis; echocardiography; Echocardiography, Doppler - methods; Female; Heart Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Heart Diseases - etiology; Heart Diseases - therapy; Humans; intracardiac masses; Male; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 0742-2822; 1540-8175
• DOI: 10.1111/echo.12601

Purpose To describe the echocardiographic findings detected as first manifestations of Behçet's disease (BD) and compare these findings with those detected in established cases of BD receiving regular medical treatment. Methods Two groups of patients were studied. Group 1 comprised 41 patients with BD on regular medical treatment. Group 2 comprised 5 previously healthy patients who presented to the cardiology department because of cardiac symptoms and were diagnosed in retrospect during hospitalization as BD. Thirty‐two age‐ and sex‐matched individuals served as control subjects (control group). All patients and controls underwent complete M‐mode, two‐dimensional, and Doppler transthoracic echocardiographic examinations. Results Of the 41 treated patients with BD (mean age: 32 ± 8 years, 90% males, mean duration since diagnosis: 14.5 years), only 1 patient was found to have severe aortic regurgitation secondary to aortic root dilation. On the other hand, the 5 previously healthy patients who presented with cardiac symptoms (mean age: 24 ± 6 years, all males) had significant cardiac involvement and evident echocardiographic findings (P