Some historical notes on Behçet's disease

A study of the use of Behçet/Behçet's disease or syndrome with or without Adamantiades in the medical literature during the past two decades

OBJECTIVE

Medical literature shows that some authors tend to use the eponym Behçet/Behçet's disease/syndrome, whereas others use its amalgamated form, that is, Adamantiades-Behçet/Behçet's disease/syndrome. We investigated the changes in the use of these eponyms over the past 2 decades.

METHODS

We used the PubMed database to search for publications that contained any of these nomenclatures using the appropriate tools available. Data were obtained for the title evaluated in the database and variations of the title or its distribution by year with respect to the nomenclature found in most related studies.

RESULTS

A total of 4,211 publications were found to use the original eponym compared with 96 publications that included the term Adamantiades from the year 2000 to the present. Considering the title of the articles, there was a declining use of the amalgamated form with Adamantiades from the first decade to the second decade, whereas there was an increasing use of Behçet/Behçet's disease or syndrome. In contrast, the relative percentages of all the reviewed articles that used the eponym disease or syndrome (without the amalgamated form) published in different specialty journals (rheumatology, ophthalmology, dermatology, and others) remained unchanged during the past 2 decades.

CONCLUSION

The general trend was to use Behçet/Behçet's disease or syndrome alone, although many scientists have contributed to the literature related to this topic during the historical period. The contributions of these scientists are undeniably significant, and honoring their importance is paramount.

Behçet's disease--a contemporary review

Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by relapsing episodes of oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, skin lesions and ocular lesions. It can affect other systems including vascular, gastrointestinal and neurological systems. It occurs most frequently in an area that coincides with the Old Silk Route (between latitudes 30 degrees and 45 degrees north in Asia and Europe). BD is slightly more frequent and has a worse clinical course in men. It is believed to be due to an auto-immune process triggered by an infectious or environmental agent in a genetically predisposed individual. HLA-B51 is the most strongly associated risk factor. The International Study Group (ISG) for Behçet's Disease created a set of criteria for the diagnosis of BD. Available treatments include corticosteroids, azathioprine, cychlophosphamide, cyclosporine A, interferon-alpha, anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha agents, among others. BD has a variable course characterized by relapses and remissions. Prognosis depends on the clinical involvement. Loss of visual acuity and neurological disease are major causes of morbidity and disability.