Behçet's disease in Iraq: new insights into the clinical and epidemiologic features in Middle-Euphrates region

Objectives: Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic multisystem disease that is classified as a vasculitis. Recent evidence shows that BD is an inflammatory disease at the crossroad between autoinflammatory and autoimmune syndromes. The objective of this study was to determine BD awareness in Iraq, assess the demographic variables, and observe the initial and major clinical manifestations.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 105 patients, aged between 15 and 60 (mean 33.9) years, 57 males (54.3%) and 48 females (45.7%). All patients fulfilled the CIBD diagnostic criteria.Results: About 50% of patients were diagnosed by rheumatologists. Male to female ratio was 1.18:1, with evident female preponderance in patients diagnosed before 20 years old. The most frequent onset sign was oral aphthae. Ocular, genital, skin, neurologic and joint involvement followed in frequency.Conclusion: both doctors' and patients' awareness of BD is increased in Iraq. Early-onset BD tends to involve females more than males with a significant drop of male-to-female ratio as compared to previously reported in national and other Middle-Eastern studies. The clinical characteristics are comparable to those reported from other countries with higher neurologic involvement as compared to previous national reports.