Ocular findings in childhood-onset Behçet disease

PurposeTo investigate the demographic characteristics and ocular features of patients with childhood-onset Behçet disease.Patients and methodsPatients for this retrospective study were selected using the data obtained from medical records of 34 patients with childhood-onset Behçet disease being followed up in the Uveitis Department of Ankara Ulucanlar Eye Education and Research Hospital between January 2003 and May 2008.ResultsOf 34 patients, 24 were boys (70.5%) and 10 were girls (29.4%). The average age of patients was 14.5 ± 1.9 years (range, 10-16 years). Mean follow-up period was 4.5 ± 2 years (range, 2-10 years). During the follow-up, panuveitis, posterior uveitis, and anterior uveitis were diagnosed in 18 (52.9%), 11 (32.3%), and 5 (14.7%) patients, respectively. Ocular findings included cataract in 20 patients (58.8%), posterior synechiae in 8 (23.5%), posterior capsular opacification secondary to cataract surgery in 8 (23.5%), vitreous condensation due to previous episodes of vitritis in 17 (50%), optic atrophy in 10 (29.4%), cystoid macular edema in 5 patients (14.7%), narrowed and occluded retinal vessels due to retinal periphlebitis and branched retinal vein occlusion in 2 (5.8%), neovascularization of the disk in 1 (2.9%), and phthisis bulbi in 1 patient (2.9%).ConclusionsBased on the results that were obtained in this series, panuveitis was the most common type of uveitis in cases with childhood-onset Behçet disease. Cataract was the most common anterior segment complication. Optic atrophy was the most common posterior segment complication. Male predominance was determined in this study.