Clinical Features of Behçet's Disease Patients with Joint Symptoms in Japan: A National Multicenter Study

Objectives: Approximately 30-60% of Behçet's disease patients exhibit joint symptoms. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics of such patients in Japan.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 151 Behçet's disease patients with joint symptoms who had been treated at seven cooperative medical institutions from 2007 to 2017. We investigated their clinical characteristics and treatments.

Results: The most commonly affected joints were the knee, ankle, and proximal interphalangeal joints. Of the cases with pain and swelling, 18 of 293 joints (11 cases) displayed narrowing of the cleft or deformity by X-ray analysis. Improvement in their arthritis was observed in 80% of the patients who received steroids as initial treatment; however, the rate of improvement was lower in patients who had received prednisolone (PSL) at <10 mg/day. The recurrence of joint symptoms was significantly less common in the colchicine group than in the PSL group.

Conclusions: These results suggest that PSL is effective for remission induction for the treatment of joint symptoms of Behçet's disease. Additionally, colchicine is effective in preventing the recurrence of joint symptoms in Behçet's disease. Furthermore, joint damages like joint space narrowing or with any deformity can often be observed in Behçet's disease.