Consider Behcet's disease in young patients with deep vein thrombosis

Respir Med Case Rep. 2016 Apr 14:18:41-4. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2016.04.002. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Behcet's disease is a multi-systemic and chronic inflammatory vasculitis of unknown etiology characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers, uveitis, arthritis, arterial aneurysms, venous thrombosis, skin lesions and GIS lesions. Although pulmonary artery aneurysms are rare, it is a critical condition due to high risk of rupture. Venous involvement of Behcet's disease primarily occurs in the lower extremities. In the presence of deep vein thrombosis(DVT) and pulmonary embolism, the mainstay of treatment in Behcet's disease is immunosuppressant therapy. Anticoagulants can be used only after initiation of immunosuppressant therapy and suppression of the disease. Anticoagulant therapy alone may lead to fatal hemoptysis. We report the case of a 24 year-old patient who presented to the emergency service with complaints of shortness of breath, general condition disorder and hemoptyhis while using warfarin for DVT and whose thoracic CT angiography showed pulmonary embolism and pulmonary artery aneurysm and diagnosed with Behcet's disease.

Keywords: Behcet's disease; Deep vein thrombosis; Immunosuppressant therapy; Pulmonary embolism.

Publication types

  • Case Reports