Clinical characteristics and predictors for cardiovascular system involvement in patients with Behçet's disease.

OBJECTIVES:The purpose of this study is to analyse the clinical characteristics of Behçet's disease (BD) patients in China with or without cardiovascular system involvement, and to develop a risk model to identify factors related to cardiovascular involvement in BD. METHODS:This retrospective cohort study, using the information on BD in Shenzhen People's Hospital from January 2000 to December 2021, included 95 patients: BD patients without cardiovascular system involvement (n=63) and with cardiovascular system involvement (n=32). RESULTS:Patients with BD who were males and had a combination of hypertension and a longer duration of disease were more likely to have cardiovascular involvement (p < 0.05). Compared to patients without cardiovascular involvement, manifestations of genital ulcers are rarely observed in those with cardiovascular involvement (60.32% vs. 37.50%, p=0.035). The binary logistic regression analysis found that ascending aortic widening and a history of hypertension were independent risk factors for BD with cardiovascular system involvement (OR=1.277, 95% CI 1.09, 1.495, p=0.002; OR=11.578, 95% CI 1.308, 102.639, p=0.028). The established prediction model indicated that can help to predict the likelihood of cardiovascular involvement in a patient with BD. CONCLUSIONS:Cardiovascular involvement in BD is not at all rare, however, it is often underreported due to a lack of specificity. BD patients who are male, have a history of combined hypertension, and have a long duration of disease should be focused on the presence of combined cardiovascular system involvement, with particular attention to the patient's ascending aortic internal diameter.