Epidemiology of Neuro-Behçet’s Disease in Northern Spain 1999–2019: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Neuro-Behçet’s disease (NBD) is one of the most severe complications of Behçet’s disease (BD). The incidence of NBD varies widely worldwide. This study aimed to estimate its current incidence in Northern Spain. Methods: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study of 120 patients in Northern Spain diagnosed with BD according to the 2013 International Criteria for BD (ICBD) between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2019. NBD diagnoses were made according to International Consensus Recommendation (ICR) criteria. Overall, 96 patients were included, and their demographic and clinical data were collected. The incidence of NBD was estimated by age, gender, and year of diagnosis between 1999–2019. Results: NBD was diagnosed in 23 of 96 (24%) patients (15 women/8 men) (mean age: 44 ± 13.9 years). HLA-B51 was positive in 5 of 13 (38.4%) cases tested. A total of 10 (43.5%) patients had parenchymatous NBD, 10 (43.5%) had non-parenchymatous NBD, and 3 (13%) had mixed NBD. Incidence during the study period was 0.13 (95% CI, 0.11–0.26) per 100,000 people-years. There were no significant differences in gender in the incidence rate stratified by age (p > 0.05). Furthermore, there was a linear relationship with a mild decrease in age at diagnosis over time. Conclusions: Epidemiological characteristics of NBD in Northern Spain are similar to those of neighboring countries, except female gender predominance.