A Case of Intestinal Behçet’s Disease with Acute Epididymitis as Primary Symptom

Abstract

A twenty four-old man, who suffered from acute epididymitis for two weeks, came to the dermatology department of our hospital on November, 2005, because of his oral ulceration and painful erythema of bilateral lower legs. The histopathological finding of biopsy specimen from the erythematous lesion showed septal panniculitis and vasculitis, which is compatible with Behçet’s disease. At first, treatment with potassium iodide and colchicines relieved him from acute epididymitis and erythema nodosum, but he suffered from diarrohea two weeks after. Endoscopic findings of the terminal ileum showed multiple deep ulcers, indicating that he developed intestinal Behçet’s disease. He had recovered completely by the treatment with oral predonisolone 30mg/day since then.
We think that acute epididymitis is a rare initial symptom of Behçet’s disease as well as the sign which should suggest the severe form of Behçet’s disease. Since intestinal Behçet’s disease often recurs, the patients is now under the intensive observation.