Nervous system disorders in Behcet’s disease
Shukurova S.M., Makhsudova M.Kh.

Avicenna Tajik State Medical University, Dushanbe

Tajikistan is an endemic area for Behcet’s disease. No multicenter studies on this disorder in Tajikistan were performed. This paper demonstrates multifaceted clinical manifestations of Behcet’s disease.
Aim. To address clinical instrumental characteristics of brain symptoms in Tajik patients with Behcet’s disease.
Patients and methods. The study included 28 patients (18 men, 64%, and 10 women, 36%) with Behcet’s disease aged 20-40 (mean age 25 6 ± 7.2 years) who underwent treatment in K.T. Tadzhiev City Clinical Hospital No. 5. The diagnosis relied on the clinical criteria according to the International Study Group for the Behcet’s Disease (ISGBD, 1990). Physical and clinical examinations including brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. 
Results. Brain manifestations in Behcet’s disease patients ranged from headaches (86%) and psycho-emotional disorders (71%) to motor and cognitive disorders (29% and 14%, respectively). Their rate increases as the disease progresses. After one or two years of the onset, brain symptoms occur in 14% of cases and increase after 7 to 9 years (57%). In the others 29%, CNS damage was observed after 3 to 5 years. In 28 patents with verified Behcet’s disease, MRI revealed hydrocephaly signs (86%), optic atrophy (43%), lacunar stroke signs (29%), empty sella syndrome (57%), and sinus disorders (maxillary sinusitis in 29% and sphenoiditis in 43%). MRI identified neither pathological masses nor focal bran lesions in one patient only.
Conclusions. This study demonstrate high occurrence and severity of cerebrovascular symptoms which are considered as poor prognostic sign of Behcet’s disease.