Summary

Behçet's disease is an autoimmune mediated multisystem vasculitis. It is most prevalent in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean patients and considered rare in Afro-Caribbean populations. The disease phenotype in Afro-Caribbean patients is more severe with systemic involvement, in particular lesions affecting the vascular system known as angio-Behçet's. The archetypal triad of disease in Behçet's includes oral stomatitis, genital ulceration and ocular lesions, however, the variety of symptoms patients experience is recognised by the revised International Criteria for Behçet's disease and is reflected in the clinical scoring criteria. The authors report an unusual case of Behçet's disease in a young Afro-Caribbean patient presenting with spontaneous bilateral renal, cerebral and pulmonary venous thrombosis as first presentation. Physicians should be aware of the aggressive and atypical manner in which Behçet's can present in Afro-Caribbean patients in order to avoid diagnostic delay and remain vigilant for thromboembolic lesions in this population.