Background: Behcet disease is a systemic vasculitis, which may involve the eyes and central nervous system. The true prevalence of neurological involvement is not precisely known but may be associated with ocular involvement. This study investigates the association between Behcet uveitis and neuro-Behcet disease.
Methods: A retrospective single-center analysis was conducted for consecutive patients with Behcet uveitis at the Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution. Uveitis characteristics, neurological symptoms, fluorescein fundus angiography, and MRI results were recorded.
Results: Our population included 108 patients with Behcet uveitis, and 26 (24.1%) were found to have neurological involvement associated with Behcet disease. Optic nerve leakage on fundus angiography and neurological symptoms were associated with an increased risk of neurological involvement. Three cases (11.5%) were nonparenchymal, while 23 (88.5%) were parenchymal with lesions in the cortex, subcortical white matter, thalamus, basal ganglia, and brainstem.
Conclusions: There is a high comorbidity between ocular and neurological involvement in Behcet disease. Careful assessment of neurological symptoms and baseline fluorescein fundus angiography are recommended for patients with Behcet disease. MRI has a high diagnostic yield and should be pursued if there is concern for progressive or pre-existing neurological involvement.
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