Validation and reliability of a Behcet's Syndrome Activity Scale in Korea

Risk factors, clinical features and treatment of Behçet's disease uveitis

Behçet's disease is a systemic vasculitis frequently associated with intraocular inflammation. Recent findings identified independent clinical clusters in Behçet's disease, each involving distinct combinations of affected organs. Ocular Behçet's disease, mainly manifested as uveitis, is characterized as an independent cluster with a low likelihood of association with other system involvements, such as intestinal, cardiovascular, or central nervous system. A prevailing theory suggests that the pathogenesis of the disease is multifactorial, where a variety of genetic and infectious agents may interact with each other to cause the disease. Among sporadic cases, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, including HLA-B51, HLA-A26, HLA-B15, and HLA-B5701, have been found to be a key component conferring genetic susceptibility. Outside the HLA region, a set of susceptibility variants are identified, closely related to interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17 pathway, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling, and pattern recognition receptor systems. Microbial infections, such as Streptococcus sanguinis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Herpes simplex virus (HSV), are linked to play the triggering of disease in immunogenetically predisposed individuals. Clinically, due to the notable relapsing-remitting course of ocular Behçet's disease, the prevention of recurrent attack would be the primary treatment goal. Combination of corticosteroids and immunomodulatory drugs, such as anti-TNF agents, interferon, and conventional immunosuppressants (e.g. cyclosporine, azathioprine), have been the mainstream regimen for the disease. Future research may focus on comparing the effectiveness of immunomodulatory drugs and identifying the most suitable subgroups for a specific drug on the basis of the knowledge of the molecular heterogeneity of the disease.

A review of patient-reported outcome measures used in uveitis

We review patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) in uveitis and provide a quality assessment of the psychometric properties of the PROMs, making it easier to choose the best questionnaire for uveitis. Our review included 158 articles. A total of 98 PROMs were used to measure QoL in uveitis and the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI VFQ -25) was the most frequently used PROM in these studies. There were 5 uveitis-specific PROMs, but they were meant for either birdshot choroidopathy or cytomegalovirus retinitis or paediatric uveitis. There are no PROMs developed explicitly for the more common, anterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis, panuveitis, and chronic uveitis. The uveitis-specific PROMs performed better in our quality assessment criteria compared to other PROMs. However, these PROMs were constructed using traditional classical test theory and have not been assessed using the modern family of psychometric assessment methods such as Rasch analysis. As new therapeutic modalities for uveitis such as the new biological agents and steroid implants, continue to evolve, a comprehensive PROM will be increasingly valued in clinical trial settings to compare the effects of treatments from the patient's perspective.

Quality of Life Assessment in Patients with Behçet's Disease using the Persian Version of the Leeds BD-QoL Questionnaire

Background:

Behçet’s disease (BD) can negatively impact the quality of life (QoL) of the affected patients. The present study aimed to assess the QoL of BD patients using the Leeds BD-QoL and compare its results with the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.

Methods:

In the present cross-sectional study, 179 BD patients and 304 healthy individuals (the control group) were recruited in Shiraz, 2017. The Persian version of the Leeds BD-QoL and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires were used to assess the QoL of patients with BD. The QoL in the patient and control groups was compared after controlling the effect of some variables (age, sex, marital status, and educational level) using the multiple linear regression analysis. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was calculated for the Leeds BD-QoL and WHOQOL-BREF scores. Disease activity was measured using the Behçet’s Disease Current Activity Form. All the statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 21.0). P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

The mean of the Leeds BD-QoL total score in the patient group was 12.3±8.7. The control group had significantly higher scores in the WHOQOL-BREF total score and the physical health and psychological health domains compared with the patient group; mean difference of 10.24, 10.8, and 4.62, respectively (P<0.001). The Spearman’s correlation coefficient for the Leeds BD-QoL score and WHOQOL-BREF total score and its domains (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment) was -0.669, -0.713, -0.714, -0.536, and -0.550, respectively. The disease activity score was correlated with the Leeds BD-QoL score (r=0.361, P<0.001).

Conclusion:

BD patients had a lower QoL than healthy individuals, specifically in the physical health and psychological health domains. An increase in disease activity and severity was associated with a reduced QoL. The Persian version of the Leeds BD-QoL questionnaire had an acceptable correlation with the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire.

Increased risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with Behçet's disease: A nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND

Chronic inflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, there is a paucity of information about whether Behçet's disease (BD) is associated with an increased risk of AF. This population-based study aimed to determine the risk of AF in patients with BD.

METHODS

A total of 6636 newly diagnosed BD patients without a history of AF were included from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database between 2010 and 2014. Newly diagnosed non-valvular AF was identified using the claims data. An age- and sex-matched non-BD subjects were extracted at a ratio of 1:5 (n = 31,040). The incidence and risk of AF were compared between groups.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up of 3.6 ± 1.5 years, AF was newly diagnosed in 173 patients (51 in the BD group, 122 in the control group). The incidence was 2.3 and 1.1 per 1000 person-years, respectively. After adjustment, the BD group showed a 1.8-fold higher risk of AF compared to the control group. Patients with BD aged ≤40 years had a higher risk of AF, while patients aged ≥65 years showed a similar risk. Men with BD had a 2.5-fold increased risk of AF, whereas women with BD did not. Severe BD had a higher risk for AF compared to non-severe BD and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

BD was associated with an increased risk of AF, particularly in men and young patients. Active surveillance and treatment are needed in BD patients and those with arrhythmic symptoms.

Choroidal Thickness Indicates Subclinical Ocular and Systemic Inflammation in Eyes with Behçet Disease without Active Inflammation

Purpose

To investigate whether subfoveal choroidal thickness, measured using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT), is an indicator of subclinical ocular or systemic inflammation in eyes with Behçet disease (BD) without active ocular inflammation.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was used to examine clinical features of non-uveitic patients with BD (NUBD group), patients with a previous history of Behçet uveitis in an inactive state (IUBD group), and healthy controls were evaluated from October 2014 to September 2015. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured using EDI-OCT.

Results

The NUBD group included 46 eyes in 24 patients; the IUBD group included 16 eyes in 11 patients; and the control group included 35 eyes in 23 individuals. The mean subfoveal choroidal thicknesses differed significantly among these groups. Choroidal thickness was significantly greater in the NUBD (310.5 ± 81.0 µm) than in the IUBD (263.1 ± 56.6 µm, p = 0.013) and control (256.9 ± 67.9 µm, p = 0.002) groups. The disease activity score was significantly higher in the NUBD than in the IUBD group (p < 0.001), while the use of cyclosporine was significantly associated with choroidal thickness in eyes with NUBD (p = 0.039).

Conclusions

Subfoveal choroidal thickness, as measured by EDI-OCT, may be a clinical indicator of subclinical ocular inflammation and systemic inflammation in BD patients without active ocular inflammation.

CXCL10/CXCR3 axis is associated with disease activity and the development of mucocutaneous lesions in patients with Behçet's disease

The objective of this study was to investigate CXC chemokines and its receptor in patients with Behcet’s disease (BD) and their associations with disease activity. Blood samples were collected from 109 BD patients and 36 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Twenty-two follow-up blood samples were collected in BD patients. Serum CXC chemokines (CXCL1, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL12, CXCL13 and CXCL16) and cell surface marker expression (CD3, CD4 and CXCR3) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were assayed. Clinical features including disease activity were evaluated at the time of blood collection. CXCR3 expression in skin and intestinal lesions from BD patients and HCs was assessed via immunohistochemistry. Serum CXCL10 levels were correlated with disease activity in terms of Behçet’s Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) (p < 0.001). In follow-up BD patients, changes in serum CXCL10 levels tended to be correlated with those of BDCAF. The percentage of CXCR3 expression in CD3-positive cells in PBMCs was inversely correlated with serum CXCL10 levels in BD patients (p = 0.022). By immunohistochemistry, the number of CXCR3-positive mononuclear cells was higher in skin and intestinal lesions of BD patients than in those of HCs. These results suggest that the CXCL10/CXCR3 axis may contribute to the pathogenesis of BD.