International Behçet’s Awareness Day Date in the current year: May 20, 2026

Behçet’s disease, also known as Behçet’s syndrome or simply Behçet’s, is a form of vasculitis, an umbrella term for disorders that involve inflammation and destruction of blood vessels. The syndrome is named after the Turkish dermatologist Hulusi Behçet, who first encountered a patient with the disease in the mid-1920s and first described it in 1937.

Behçet’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs. The most common and recognizable symptom is painful, recurring oral and genital sores. Other common symptoms include skin lesions, arthritis, and eye inflammation, which can lead to redness, pain, blurred vision, and vision loss if left untreated. The disease can also affect the gastrointestinal tract, causing nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea; the lungs, causing cough, pleuritis, and coughing up blood; and the central nervous system, causing meningoencephalitis or cerebral venous thrombosis.

The exact cause of Behçet’s disease is unknown, but it is believed to be at least partly genetic because it is more prevalent in certain regions than in others. It is more common along the Silk Road in the Middle East and Asia but rare in other parts of the world.

There are no diagnostic tests for Behçet’s disease. A diagnosis is made based on having at least three recurring episodes of mouth sores in a year and at least two of the following symptoms: skin sores, genital sores, eye inflammation, or a positive skin prick test. This disease primarily affects young adults between the ages of 20 and 40, impacting both men and women. Since Behçet’s is rare and its symptoms vary greatly from person to person, receiving the correct diagnosis can take months or even years.

Like most rare diseases, Behçet’s syndrome has no cure. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms, reducing inflammation, and controlling the immune system to prevent it from attacking the body’s own vessels. It usually includes corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants, topical ulcer treatments, and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Patients are also advised to have regular checkups with specialists, such as ophthalmologists and rheumatologists, and to avoid known triggers that can cause flare-ups, such as stress.

International Behçet’s Awareness Day was established to raise awareness of this disease, which is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood due to its rarity and the variability of its symptoms, among healthcare professionals and the general public. You can participate in the campaign by donating to an organization that supports patients with the disease or funds research, wearing a light blue awareness ribbon to start conversations, or spreading the word on social media using the hashtags #InternationalBehcetsAwarenessDay, #BehcetsAwarenessDay and #BehcetsDiseaseAwareness.