Behçet’s disease is a complex disease characterized by remission and activation periods of unknown duration. It has an unpredictable course. Behçet’s disease shows a heterogeneous pattern of organ involvement that occurs in recurrent episodes of acute inflammation throughout the course of the disease. Disease activity in Behçet’s disease is difficult to define because of its fluctuating course, lack of laboratory tests reflecting overall disease activity, absence of a standardized form to report the severity of Behcet’s disease manifestations and also trying to develop new diagnostic criteria. This led to the development of standardized disease activity index. To be useful, a measurement of disease activity must be valid, reliable, and simple enough to use in routine clinical practice. We will try to explain what the situation is in terms of Behçet’s disease activity index.
Part of the book: Behcet's Disease