DIAGNOSES AND DISCUSSION OF CHALLENGING CLINICAL CASE NO. 05/2001
Behcet’s syndrome
| Behcet’s
syndrome, a recurrent disease of unknown cause, is characterized by
painful oral and genital ulers, eye inflammation arthritis, central
nervous system symptoms, thrombophlebitis, fever, and abdominal symptoms.
The combination of fever, aphthous ulcers, arthritis and abdominal pain
may mimic inflammatory bowel disease, although central nervous system
involvement (e.g., severe headache) and thrombophlebitis would make this
diagnosis less likely. Whipple’s disease is associated with arthritis,
abdomina pain and central nervous system disease, but not with aphthoous
uncers and thrombophelebitis, also, Whopple’s disease ususally affects
middle-aged men. Fever, arthritis, abdominal pain, and headache would be
compatible with a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematiosus. However, the
mucosal lesions of
lupus are painless and occur on the hard and soft palate, and
thrombophlebitis is not a characteristic feature. |