PO:36:253 | Lifestyle and Behçet's syndrome: a preliminary study on gender differences

Pietro Leccese¹, Angela Anna Padula¹, Nancy Lascaro¹, Salvatore D'Angelo¹, Maria Carmela Padula¹ | ¹UOC Reumatologia AOR San Carlo, Potenza, Italy

Background. Behçet’s syndrome (BS) is a chronic, relapsing autoinflammatory disease characterised by various clinical manifestations, including oral and genital ulcers, skin lesions, ocular inflammation, and neurological, vascular, and gastrointestinal involvement. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to susceptibility and disease phenotype. A previous study investigating the clinical phenotype across gender differences revealed that the disease is more frequent and more severe in male subjects [1]. Emerging literature evidences support the role of a healthy lifestyle as an environmental factor able to modulate disease activity, disease severity, and quality of life [2, 3]. The purpose of this preliminary study is to evaluate gender differences in the main lifestyle-related aspects within a cohort of patients with BS.

Materials and Methods. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to a cohort of consecutive patients with BS, who provided information on the following items: age, sex, dietary habits, physical activity, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, impact of the disease on work, and sleep habits/hygiene.

Results. Table 1 reports the results of the survey related to the 39 recruited patients (24M:15F). Statistically significant differences were found in case of: 1) fruit consumption: women consumed more abundant weekly portions compared to men (16-29 weekly portions in 8.3% of males vs 33.3% of females); 2) consumption of sugary drinks: the weekly frequency was zero in a significantly higher number of females compared to males (73.3% F vs 16.7% M); 3) the impact on work, which was reported as null for 10.7% of males compared to 46.7% of females.

Conclusions. Our study highlights a greater consumption of pro-inflammatory dietary components (sugars) and a lower consumption of anti-inflammatory foods (fruit) in men. Among the modifiable lifestyle factors, nutrition plays an essential role for human health: a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, such as fruit and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, combined with a reduction in processed foods, represents a significant factor in modulating inflammation, with a positive impact on disease activity and quality of life. Although our data need to be validated in a larger cohort of subjects, also including a population of healthy subjects, the present study emphasizes the importance of a personalised and holistic approach for BS management, also considering the wide disease heterogeneity.

References

1. Leccese P, et al. Behçet's syndrome: one year in review 2022. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2022;40(6):945-958.

2. Di Cianni F, Sulis A, Italiano N. The impact of environmental factors on aetiopathogenesis and clinical manifestations of Behçet's syndrome. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2024;42(1):15-21.