Case report
Behçet’s disease – three successive cases in Poland

Behçet disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis, very rare in Poland, characterized by recurrent lesions of skin and mucous membrane, frequent abnormalities in the visual system, as well as symptoms of the central nervous system and other internal organs. Three cases of BD from Poland are presented in the paper. Case 1 is a 35-year-old male, who presented with oral mucosal ulcerations after 6 years of observations of systemic connective tissue disease. The patient presented also with iritis, superficial phlebitis in both thighs, and skin lesions: erythema nodosum and acneiform eruption. Case 2 is a 37-year-old female, in whom the following criteria for BD were established: recurrent, painful oral mucosal ulcerations, temporary genital ulcerations, erythema nodosum, and thrombophlebitis. The patient had an aneurysm of the left internal carotid artery, as well as an aneurysm of the right internal carotid artery; because of the former she underwent neurosurgery. Case 3 is a 44-year-old female, in whom a diagnosis of BD was established on the basis of the following symptoms: recurrent oral mucosal ulcerations, erythema nodosum, and recurrent uveitis. After 10 years of duration of the disease, secondary Sjögren syndrome and primary liver cirrhosis were also diagnosed. In all three cases, clinical improvement was a result of combined treatment. On the basis of our own experience we believe that combined treatment can give better results than monotherapy in patients with BD.