EVALUATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL STUDY-GROUP FOR BEHCETS-DISEASE CRITERIA IN BRAZILIAN PATIENTS

Twenty-eight patients with Behcet's Disease (BD), diagnosed according to at least one of the published and internationally recognized diagno stic criteria (Japanese Committee, International Committee, O'Duffy, M ason & Barnes and James) were compared with 56 controls with other rhe umatic diseases paired by sex and age. This study aimed at comparing t he sensitivity and specificity of the five diagnostic criteria chosen as well as the validation of the use of the new set of diagnostic crit eria proposed by the International Committee in our population,We conc lude that, in general, Brazilian patients with BD present demographic and clinical characteristics similar to those described in the world l iterature. The criteria proposed by the International Committee, altho ugh not the most accurate in our study, are a valid proposal for the u niversal unification of diagnostic criteria for BD.