Symptoms of Behcet's Disease: An Introduction
The symptoms of
Behcet's disease differ from one person to the next. Some people have only mild symptoms, such as sores in the mouth; while others have more severe problems, such as vision loss. Symptoms of
Behcet's disease may appear, disappear, and then reappear. The times when a person has symptoms are called flares.
The five most common symptoms of Behcet's disease are:
- Mouth sores
- Genital sores
- Other skin problems
- Inflammation of parts of the eye
- Arthritis.
Symptoms of Behcet's Disease: Mouth Sores
Mouth sores (known as oral aphthosis [af-THO-sis] and aphthous stomatitis) affect almost all patients with Behcet's disease. Individual sores or ulcers are usually identical to canker sores, which are common in many people. These sores are often the first symptom that a person notices, and may occur long before any other symptoms of Behcet's disease appear.
The sores usually have a red border, and several may appear at the same time. They may be painful, and can make it difficult to eat. Mouth sores typically go away in 10 to 14 days, but often come back. Small sores usually heal without scarring, but larger sores may leave a scar.
Symptoms of Behcet's Disease: Genital Sores
Genital sores affect more than half of all people with Behcet's disease, and most commonly appear on the scrotum in men and on the vulva in women. The sores look similar to the mouth sores, and may be painful. After several outbreaks, the sores may cause scarring.
