12. Diagnoses
Medical science has a hard time diagnosing Behcet’s disease. There is no single test for the condition, and doctors will usually identify it when the patient experiences recurring sores in the mouth as the biggest indicator of the disease.
However, the patient may experience recurring sores in other regions like the genitals, skin, and eyes. Typically, the patient will experience recurrence of these sores three times a year. If the patient displays symptoms involving the sores appearing on multiple body parts at once, they will have an easy time accurately diagnosing Behcet’s.
If the patient displays signs of ulcers or sores in multiple locations, the physician will run a simple pathergy test to check the immune system’s function. The doctor performs the test by pricking the patient skin with a hypodermic needle. If a red bump occurs in the days following the test, the patient has a positive diagnosis for Behcet’s.
The physician will also use a blood test to rule out other diseases, like lupus, that may cause the condition.