• Bar Pitaro Alter, Shmuel Tiosano, Yuval Kuntzman, Omer Gendelman, Guy Shalom, Abdulla Watad, Howard Amital, Arnon D Cohen, and Daniela Amital.
• Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel, Internal Medicine B, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
• Isr Med Assoc J. 2022 Nov 1; 24 (11): 727731727-731.

BackgroundBehçet's disease (BD) is a chronic vasculitic multi-systemic disease of unknown etiology. BD is characterized by recurrent attacks of oral aphthae, genital ulcers, and uveitis. BD is a multisystemic disorder and as such it may provoke various psychiatric manifestations, including depression.ObjectivesTo evaluate the association between BD and depression, adjusting for established risk factors for depression.MethodsWe executed a cross-sectional study based on the Clalit Health Services database, the largest healthcare organization in Israel, serving over 4.4 million members. For this study 873 BD patients were detected and matched with 4369 controls by age and sex.ResultsThe rate of depression was higher among the BD patients compared with the control group (9.39% vs 5.49%, respectively, odds ratio [OR] 1.79, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.37-2.31, P < 0.001). An association between BD and depression was also observed on multivariable analysis (OR 1.83, 95%CI 1.39-2.39, P < 0.001). When stratifying the data, according to established risk factors, the association between BD and depression was prominent in the youngest age group (18-39 years of age), low and high socioeconomical status, and non-smokers.ConclusionsEstablishing the association between BD and depression should influence the attitude and the treatment of BD patients, as this relationship requires a more holistic approach and a multidisciplinary treatment regimen for all patient needs.

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