Hulusi Behcet, who first discovered the syndrome
The Cochrane Oral Health Group has published a new protocol: Interventions for the management of oral ulcers in Behcet’s disease.
Behcet’s disease is a chronic condition, which is modulated by the immune system and involves inflammation of the blood vessels, including veins and arteries. It is called after the Turkish dermatologist Hulusi Behcet, who first recognised the syndrome in a patient in 1924 and reported it in the Journal of Skin and Venereal Diseases in 1936. The causes of Behcet’s are unknown, but it is thought that people can be genetically disposed to the condition, which is also known as “Silk Road disease” due to its prevalence in areas surrounding the old silk trading routes in the Middle East and Central Asia (although it is not restricted to these parts of the world). One of the symptoms is recurrent oral ulcers, which can become inflamed and cause pain.This new review will be undertaken by Jennifer Taylor from the University of Manchester, with assistance from Paul Brocklehurst, Tanya Walsh, Philip Riley, Anne-Marie Glenny, Rachel Gorodkin and Michael N. Pemberton. They will analyse the data from randomized controlled trials which look at any preventive, palliative or curative treatments for oral ulceration in Behcet’s disease. These can include barrier pastes, immunomodulators, corticosteroids and biological agents such as interferon. The review will complement the existing Cochrane reviews on systemic interventions for recurrent oral ulcers, and the upcoming review on topical interventions.
Cochrane Oral Health 