Behcet disease

Updated: 2023-07-27

A rare disorder that causes swelling, also called inflammation, in blood vessels.

Overview

The cause of Behcet (beh-CHET) disease is unknown, but it may be the body's immune system attacking healthy cells. This is known as an autoimmune disorder.

Symptoms

Symptoms include mouth and genital sores, skin rashes, and eye inflammation that causes redness, pain and blurred vision. Behcet disease also can cause painful swelling in the arms and legs.

Treatments

Treatments include medicines to control the pain and swelling during flares. Corticosteroid creams, mouthwash and eye drops can provide relief. For more-serious cases, a health care professional may prescribe medicine to control Behcet disease throughout the body, in addition to medicines for flares.