Novel genetic analysis in Behçet's disease

Abstract

Behçet's disease (BD) is characterized by oral and genital ulceration and is complicated by eye, skin, joint and central nervous system lesions. It has long been understood that BD has a strong genetic component, but to date the identified genes account for only around 30% of the risk for developing the disease, and the work has mostly been based on candidate gene analysis. In a recent report, Fei and coworkers presented the results of the first genome-wide analysis of patients with BD. These findings suggest new pathways for investigation in this complex disease. © 2009 BioMed Central Ltd.