Behçet disease
Variable-vessel vasculitis with recurrent oral and genital ulcers, pathergy, uveitis, venous thrombosis and pulmonary artery aneurysm: ICBD criteria, what to exclude, and EULAR 2025 treatment from colchicine to apremilast and infliximab.
Tier 2Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- A variable-vessel vasculitis (Chapel Hill 2012): arteries and veins of any size. Neutrophil-driven, relapsing and remitting.
- Recurrent oral ulcers are nearly universal (over 95%) and usually come first. The danger lies in the eye, vessels, brain and gut.
- Most common along the old Silk Road: Turkey, the Middle East, Iran, Central and East Asia. In Australia, think of it in patients from these communities.
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Sources
- Hatemi G et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of Behçet's syndrome: 2025 update. Ann Rheum Dis 2026;85(6):1010-25European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR), 2025 update, published 2026 (replaces the 2018 update)
- Esatoglu SN, Hatemi G. Emerging advances in vascular Behçet syndrome. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2026 (summarises the EULAR 2025 vascular recommendations)Current Opinion in Rheumatology, 2026
- International Team for the Revision of the International Criteria for Behçet's Disease. The International Criteria for Behçet's Disease (ICBD). J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2014;28(3):338-47Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2014
- Hatemi G et al. Trial of apremilast for oral ulcers in Behçet's syndrome (RELIEF). N Engl J Med 2019;381(20):1918-28New England Journal of Medicine, 2019
- Otezla (apremilast): indications and PBS statusAU/NZhealthdirect Australia (PBS data updated 4 November 2026), November 2026
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Dermatology (aphthous ulcers) and RheumatologyAU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited (eTG complete), current eTG edition (topic version not verified)
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Personal emails, About story and Australian-style copy