Abstract
Behçet’s disease is a complex, multisystemic, inflammatory disorder characterized clinically by recurrent oral and genital ulcerations as well as uveitis, sometimes leading to blindness. The etiology and pathogenesis of this syndrome remain obscure. However, various factors are suspected, including genetic propensity, infectious precipitants, and immunological abnormalities. Considering the chronicity and unclear etiology of the disease, we conducted a prospective investigation of a possible alteration in the bone mineral density of affected persons. Thirty-five patients (18 males and 17 females, mean age 38.02±7.93 years) diagnosed with Behçet’s disease and 33 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (14 males and 19 females, mean age 40.06±7.66 years) were seen on an outpatient basis, and bone densitometry measurements were done from June 2000 to December 2002 at the Mersin University Hospital in Turkey. Postmenopausal women with Behçet’s disease and patients receiving oral corticosteroid therapy were excluded from the study. The mean disease duration was 6.68±7.05 years. Bone mineral density was measured with dual X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and right femur. The mean Z scores of the patient and control groups were −0.50±1.06 and −0.13±0.92 at the lumbar spine, respectively, and 0.38±1.07 and 0.45±1.20 at the right femur, respectively. No significant differences in bone mineral density values were detected in the groups at either the lumbar (P=0.15) or right femur (P=0.82) site. Body mass index and disease duration did not influence bone mineral density, and age had a positive correlation with bone mineral density in patients with Behçet’s disease. In conclusion, although it is difficult to draw definite conclusions due to the relatively small sample size, our study confirms that bone mineral density in Behçet’s disease was not lower than in healthy subjects.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Kastner DL (2001) Intermittent and periodic arthritic syndromes. In: Koopman WJ (ed) Arthritis and allied conditions. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, pp 1400–1441
Yurdakul S, Yazici H, Tüzün Y, Pazarli H, Yalcin B, Altac M, Ozyazgan Y, Tuzuner N, Muftuoglu A (1983) The arthritis of Behçet’s disease: a prospective study. Ann Rheum Dis 42:505–510
Yazici H, Yurdakul S, Hamuryudan V (1998) Behçet’s syndrome. In: Klippel JH and Dieppe PA (eds) Rheumatology. Mosby, London, pp 261–266
Kanis JA, Melton LJ, Cristiansen C, Johnson CC, Khaltev N (1994) The diagnosis of osteoporosis. J Bone Min Res 9:1137–1141
Martin JC, Munro R, Campbell MK, Reid DM (1997) Effects of disease and corticosteroids on appendicular bone mass in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with axial measurement. Br J Rheumatol 25:367–376
Juanola X, Mateo L, Nolla JM, Roig-Vilaseca D, Campoy E, Roig-Escofet D (2000) Bone mineral density in women with ankylosing spondylitis. J Rheumatol 27:1028–1031
Gilboe IM, Kvien TK, Haugeberg G, Husby G (2000) Bone mineral density in systemic lupus erythematosus: comparison with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls. Ann Rheum Dis 59:110–115
International Study Group for Behçet’s Disease (1990) Criteria for diagnosis of Behçet’s disease. Lancet 335:1078–1080
Mundy GR (1998) Bone remodeling and mechanisms of bone loss in osteoporosis. In: Meunier PJ (ed) Osteoporosis: diagnosis and management. Dunitz, London, pp 17–35
Deodhar AA, Woolf AD (1996) Bone mass measurement and bone metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis: a review. Br J Rheumatol 35:309–322
Devogelaer JP, Maldague B, Malghem J, Nagant de Deuxchaisnes C (1992) Appendicular and vertebral bone mass in ankylosing spondylitis. Arthritis Rheum 35:1062–1067
Kroot EJJA, Nieuwenhuizen MG, De Waal Malefijt MC, Van Riel PL, Pasker-de Jong PCM, Laan RFJM (2001) Change in bone mineral density in patients with rheumatoid arthritis during the first decade of the disease. Arthritis Rheum 44:6:1254–1260
Keller C, Hafström I, Svensson B (2001) Bone mineral density in women and men with early rheumatoid arthritis. Scand J Rheumatol 30:213–220
Reid IR, Plank LD, Evans MC (1992) Fat mass is an important determinant of whole body bone mass in premenopausal women, but not in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 75:779–782
Holbrook TL, Barrett-Connor E (1993) The association of lifetime weight control patterns with bone mineral density in an adult community. Bone Miner 20:141–149
Laan RFJM, Buijs WCAM, Verbeek ALM, Draad MP, Corstens FHM, Van de Putte LBA, Van Riel PL (1993) Bone mineral density in patients with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis: influence of disease activity and functional capacity. Ann Rheum Dis 52:21–26
Gaugh AKS, Lilley J, Eyre S, Holder RL, Emery P (1994) Generalised bone loss in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet 344:23–27
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bicer, A., Tursen, U., Kaya, T.I. et al. Bone mineral density in patients with Behçet’s disease. Rheumatol Int 24, 355–358 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-003-0381-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-003-0381-5