Table 1 Clinical characteristics and cardiovascular variables of the study group.
| Variables | Behçet's group | Controls | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 53) | (n = 65) | |||
| Age (years) | 38.1 (8.1) | 38.2 (8.0) | NS | |
| Men, No (%) | 27 (51) | 32 (49) | NS | |
| Height (cm) | 164.7 (8.5) | 163.8 (8.2) | NS | |
| Body mass index | 22.1 (2.9) | 22.7 (2.7) | NS | |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 119.2 (11.1) | 117.2 (9.6) | NS | |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 73.8 (8.3) | 72.5 (7.9) | NS | |
| Mean blood pressure (mm Hg) | 90.9 (9.0) | 88.4 (8.1) | NS | |
| Pulse pressure (mm Hg) | 45.4 (8.0) | 46.3 (6.1) | NS | |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 65.2 (7.8) | 65.5 (9.9) | NS | |
| Smokers, No (%) | 8 (15) | 9 (14) | NS | |
| Serum glucose (mmol/l) | 4.7 (0.5) | 4.8 (0.5) | NS | |
| Serum total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 4.25 (0.80) | 4.40 (0.55) | NS | |
| Serum triglyceride (mmol/l) | 1.16 (0.58) | 1.12 (0.54) | NS | |
| Clinical features, No (%) | ||||
| Oral ulcerations | 53 (100) | |||
| Genital ulcerations | 32 (60) | |||
| Erythema nodosum | 21 (40) | |||
| Papulopustular lesions | 44 (83) | |||
| Positive pathergy reaction | 28 (53) | |||
| Ocular lesions | 12 (23) | |||
| Intestinal lesions | 6 (11) | |||
| Peripheral arthritis | 14 (26) | |||
| Vascular lesions | 9 (17) | |||
| CNS lesions | 2 (4) | |||
| Positive HLA‐B51 | 22 (42) | |||
| Active disease | 16 (30) | |||
| Severe disease | 19 (36) | |||
| Immunosuppressive agents | 15 (28) | |||
| Azathioprine | 10 (19) | |||
| Ciclosporin | 5 (9) | |||
| Corticosteroids | 38 (72) | |||
| Pulse wave velocity (m/s) | ||||
| Heart‐femoral | 7.9 (1.1) | 7.2 (0.6) | <0.001 | |
| Heart‐carotid | 6.8 (1.5) | 6.2 (1.0) | 0.035 | |
| Heart‐brachial | 5.4 (0.7) | 5.1 (0.6) | 0.004 | |
| Femoral‐ankle | 10.4 (1.3) | 10.0 (0.9) | 0.034 |
Results are given as mean (SD) unless stated otherwise.
NS. non‐significant; CNS, central nervous system.