Pediatric Behçet’s Disease in Morocco: A Retrospective Descriptive Study of 35 Cases at the Children’s Hospital of Rabat

Abstract

Aims: To describe the epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical and therapeutic profile of pediatric Behçet’s disease (BD) in a Moroccan cohort. Study design: Retrospective descriptive and analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, Cardiology and Nephrology (P4), Children’s Hospital of Rabat, Ibn Sina University Hospital, from January 2012 to December 2024. Methodology: Thirty-five patients aged ≤15 years diagnosed with BD according to Mason & Barnes and ISG criteria were included. Data were collected from medical records and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The cohort included 16 boys and 19 girls (sex ratio 0.84). The mean age at diagnosis was 11.5 years, while the mean age at first symptom onset was 8.7 years. Clinical findings included recurrent oral ulcers (100%), genital ulcers (34%), pseudofolliculitis (45%), erythema nodosum (5%), positive pathergy test (14%), articular involvement (57%), ocular involvement (42%), neurological manifestations (11.4%), vascular involvement (5%), digestive manifestations (14%), fever (22%), cardiac involvement (5%), and renal involvement (2%). An inflammatory syndrome was detected in 62% of patients. HLA-B5 was positive in 5 cases. All patients received colchicine; corticosteroids were administered in 18, immunosuppressants in 14, and biologic therapy in 6. The mean follow-up was 32 months. Outcomes included complete remission in 8 cases, relapses in 6, clinical improvement in 16, 4 lost to follow-up, and 1 death from pulmonary embolism. Conclusion: Pediatric BD is rare but likely underdiagnosed. Our findings confirm the similarity to adult forms with specific pediatric features such as a balanced sex ratio, more frequent neurological complications, and strong familial background.