Prevalence of Behcet's syndrome in patients with recurrent aphthous ulcerations in Brazil

Behcet's syndrome (BS) is a clinical entity characterized by the appearance of recurrent oral and genital ulcers, in addition to a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence of BS in patients with recurrent aphthous ulcerations (RAU) and to test the hypothesis that BS could be under diagnosed in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional investigation of the prevalence of BS based on the International Study Group for Behcet's Disease (ISGBD) criteria in patients with RAU attended in a stomatology service. Three hundred and six patients were attended at the ambulatory clinic in the study period, but the standard questionnaire was applied to 50 (16.6%) patients, 29 men and 21 women, identified as having RAU. Only one patient met the ISGBD criteria presenting RAU of the minor and complex type, recurrent genital ulcers, cutaneous, articular, ocular, and vascular manifestations, hypoacusia and fever. Thus, a prevalence of 2% of BS was defined in this subgroup of patients. In the present study, the frequency of 2% of BS in patients with RAU demonstrates the need for further population-based studies to be developed in order to definitively establish the real prevalence of this condition.