ANCA ASSOCIATED WITH BEHCETS-DISEASE

Behcet's disease is a multisystem disorder affecting primarily mucocut aneous and ocular sites although the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, central nervous and respiratory systems may also be involved. Hulusi Behcet, a Turkish dermatologist, first described Behcet's disease in 1 937 and suggested a possible infectious aetiology(1). The pathogenesis of this condition still remains unclear although it is likely that in fection acts as a trigger in genetically susceptible individuals. We r eport a patient with unusual cutaneous manifestations of Behcet's dise ase and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) directed against the cytotoxic protein, bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (B PI). This is the first report of Behcet's disease associated with this autoantibody.