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Ocular involvement in Adamantiades-Behçet’s disease in Berlin, Germany

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Abstract

Background

Epidemiological studies demonstrate a prevalence of Adamantiades-Behçet’s disease (ABD) in the range of 0.12–420 per 100,000 inhabitants, with the highest rates in Istanbul, Turkey, and the lowest rates in the USA. Ophthalmological data on the prevalence of ocular involvement are limited for ABD in Germany, because most epidemiological studies are based on rheumatological or dermatological data. Berlin is the city with the highest number of non-native German inhabitants, and its multi-ethnic character renders it uniquely appropriate for epidemiological studies on ABD.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed all ABD patients seen in our department since 1982. All patients fulfilled the criteria of the International Study Group for Behçet’s Disease. We found 140 patients (63 female, 77 male), with a mean follow-up of 6.4 years (0.5–22 years).

Results

The mean age was 23 at the first manifestation and 32 when the full-blown disease was noted. The mean age at onset of ocular involvement was 30. Most of the patients were of Turkish (n = 73) or German (n = 34) origin. Fifty-six percent developed ocular involvement, which was the first manifestation in 8.6% and the second manifestation in 19.3% of cases.

Conclusions

More than half the patients developed ocular involvement. The calculated prevalence of ocular involvement in ABD is 1.77/100,000 inhabitants for the municipality of Berlin.

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Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Dr. Joanne Weirowski for her editorial contribution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200, Berlin, Germany

    Lothar Krause, Anne-Katrin Köhler & Michael H. Foerster

  2. Departments of Dermatology and Immunology, Dessau Medical Center, Dessau, Germany

    Andreas Altenburg, Nestor Papoutsis & Christos C. Zouboulis

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Uwe Pleyer

  4. Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Andrea Stroux

Authors
  1. Lothar Krause
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Correspondence to Lothar Krause.

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Krause, L., Köhler, AK., Altenburg, A. et al. Ocular involvement in Adamantiades-Behçet’s disease in Berlin, Germany. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 247, 661–666 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-008-0983-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-008-0983-4

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