Ancillary Testing, Diagnostic/Classification Criteria and Severity Grading in Behçet Disease

Abstract

Since there is no pathognomonic clinical sign or laboratory test to distinguish Behçet disease from other uveitic entities, the diagnosis must be made based on characteristic ocular and systemic findings in the absence of evidence of other disease that can explain the findings. Ancillary tests, including ocular and brain imaging studies, are used to assess the severity of intraocular inflammation and systemic manifestations of Behçet disease, to identify latent infections and other medical conditions that might worsen with systemic treatment, and to monitor for adverse effects of drugs used. There are two diagnostic or classification criteria in general use by the uveitis community, one from Japan and one from an international group; both rely on a minimum number and/or combination of clinical findings to identify Behçet disease. Finally, several grading schemes have been proposed to assess severity of ocular disease and response to treatment.

KEYWORDS::

• Behçet disease
• Diagnostic criteria
• Ocular imaging
• Pathergy test
• Retinal vasculitis

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.