Abstract
Intractable oropharyngeal ulcers are caused by several different diseases such as infection, malignant tumors or autoimmune disease. We herein report a case of incomplete type Behçet's disease complicated by acute epiglottitis that was resistant to antibiotic medication. A 20-year-old male with multiple oropharyngeal ulcers presented with a severe sore throat, oral feeding difficulty and genital ulcers. Since bacterial infections or sexually transmitted diseases are often initially suspected, antibiotics were intravenously administered in vain. Seven days after the first visit, emerging acute epiglottitis was seen. The symptoms were improved with intravenous steroid administration, which helped us to diagnose this case as an autoimmune disease, presumably Behçet's disease. After oral steroid administration, the patient's sore throat improved within a few days and the oral ulcers disappeared within a month. When faced with intractable unknown oropharyngeal ulcers, symptoms other than oropharyngeal findings therefore could play a crucial role in making an accurate diagnosis of the disease.
