Disease patterns of patients with Behcet's disease demonstrated by factor analysis

Methods Sixty-eight ED patients were studied. The following disease manifestations were used for the factor analysis. genital ulcerations, typical skin lesion s (erythema nodosum, folliculitis or papulo-pustular rash), uveitis, CNS in volvement, joint disease, deep vein and superficial vein thrombosis, and ga strointestinal manifestations. The results were further analyzed according to sex, HLA typing, and childhood vs. adult-onset disease. Results Five factors were derived, which accounted for 69% of the variance of the m atrix. Factor 1 represented the association between folliculitis and genita l ulceration. Factor 2 represented the association between papulopustular r ash and gastrointestinal symptoms. Factor 3 represented the inverse associa tion between superficial vein thrombosis and erythema nodosum. Factor 4 rep resented the correlation between deep vein thrombosis and neuro-Behcet. Fac tor 5 represented joint disease. No difference was found between males and females in relation to factors 1, 2 or 5, but factors 3 and 4 had higher sc ores in male patients (p = 0.1 and p = 0.07 respectively). Factor 3 was sig nificantly higher in patients with HLA-B5, compared to HLA-B5-negative ED p atients (p < 0.001). Factors 2 and 3 were higher in patients with adult ons et of the disease (p = 0.07 and p = 0.003, respectively), while factor 2 wa s higher in patients with childhood-onset BD (p = 0.07). Conclusions The application of factor analysis revealed possible associations between d istinct types of skin lesions, or venous thrombosis, and other disease mani festations of Behcet's syndrome, some of which were sex, age at onset, or H LA-related.