Serum angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 levels in Turkish patients with Behçet's disease: associations with clinical manifestations and inflammatory markers.

Background/aim: Emerging evidence suggests that dysregulated angiogenesis may contribute to the pathogenesis of Behçet's disease (BD). This study primarily aimed to investigate serum angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) levels in Turkish patients with BD and compare them with healthy controls. The secondary aims were to compare angiopoietin levels based on clinical manifestations, disease activity, and medication use and to investigate their correlations with age, disease duration, and inflammatory markers. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study included 56 consecutive patients with BD, diagnosed according to International Study Group criteria, and 56 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Physical characteristics, clinical manifestations, time since symptom onset, time since diagnosis, medications, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were recorded. Serum Ang-1 and Ang-2 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Comparisons between the two groups were analyzed using the Student t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and correlations were assessed using Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients, depending on the data distribution. Results: Serum Ang-1 and Ang-2 levels were significantly higher in patients with BD compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001 and p = 0.031, respectively). Patients with genital ulcers had significantly lower serum Ang-1 levels compared to those without (p = 0.029). Additionally, Ang-2 levels showed moderate positive correlations with CRP (r = 0.518, p < 0.001) and ESR (r = 0.459, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The elevated expression of Ang-1 and Ang-2 in Turkish patients with BD supports the growing evidence of their possible roles in BD pathogenesis.