A case of Behcet's disease with pulmonary arterial aneurysm and secondary amyloidosis
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2002
Yazarlar: Kenan AKSU
Rheumatology, Uluslararası, 2002, cilt 41, ss 831-a
DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/41.7.831-a
Özet
Sir, Behçet's disease (BD) was first defined by Hulusi Behçet after he had examined patients with oral and genital ulcers and eye involvement. During the following years, BD was accepted as a multisystemic vasculitis involving locomotor, neurological, gastrointestinal and vascular systems. Venous involvement is more common than arterial involvement, which is rarely reported. Secondary amyloidosis is reported to occur rarely during the progression of BD [1]. It has been reported that vascular involvement and arthritis are the strongest predictors of amyloidosis in BD [2]. Supporting this view, we present a Behçet's disease patient with vascular involvement (asymptomatic pulmonary arterial aneurysm) and secondary amyloidosis. A 35‐yr‐old male patient with no established disease or symptoms had recurrent oral aphthae at the age of 27 yr followed in the next year by genital ulcerations. He also had an attack of iridocyclitis and thrombophlebitis after being diagnosed as having BD with positivity for the pathergy reaction. Six years after his first symptoms appeared, he was admitted to Ege University Hospital with swelling of both legs. Pretibial oedema (++) and scrotal scars were observed in the physical examination. Laboratory analyses revealed the following: erythrocyte sedimentation rate 74 mm/h; white blood cell count 8100/mm3; haematocrit 42%; platelet count 207000/mm3; urea concentration 8.2 mmol/l; creatinine concentration 70.7 mmol/l; albumin concentration 26 g/l; globulin concentration 29 g/l; total cholesterol concentration 7.2 mmol/l; triglyceride concentration 3.1 mmol/l. Daily protein excretion was 4.2 g/day. Renal parenchymal echogenicity was mildly increased (grade I) on ultrasonography.