Behçet syndrome manifestations and activity in the United States versus Turkey -- a cross-sectional cohort comparison.

Objective. To compare clinical manifestations and activity of Behcet syndrome (BS) in the United States versus Turkey using validated outcome measures. Methods. Consecutive patients with BS from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), New York University, and the University of Istanbul were evaluated. Disease activity was measured using the Behcet’s Syndrome Activity Scale (BSAS) and the Behcet’s Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) with quality of life measured by the Behcet Disease Quality of Life (BDQOL) form. One-way ANOVA, t-tests, and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Results. Mean age did not differ between sites; however, more women were seen in the United States versus in Turkey (p Conclusion. Demographic and clinical manifestations of BS differ between sites with higher disease activity in the United States compared to Turkey. Referral patterns, age, sex, ethnicity, and country of origin may be important in these differences. These observations raise the question of whether pathogenic mechanisms differ in Turkish and American patients.