Is Behcet’s disease contagious or a form of cancer?

No to both. It is a non-contagious autoimmune/inflammatory condition. You cannot catch it or pass it on, and it is not cancer.

I keep getting mouth ulcers – do I have Behcet’s?

Almost certainly not from mouth ulcers alone. Occasional mouth ulcers are extremely common and usually harmless. Behcet’s is suspected only when mouth ulcers are recurrent and accompanied by other features such as genital ulcers, eye inflammation, or characteristic skin lesions. If you have that combination, see a doctor.

Does Behcet’s affect people in Singapore and Asia?

Yes. Behcet’s is classically most common along the old “Silk Road” – the Mediterranean, Middle East and East Asia – and it does occur in East and Southeast Asian populations, so it is relevant here, even though it remains a rare condition.

Can Behcet’s disease make me go blind?

Untreated eye inflammation (uveitis) can seriously damage sight, which is why eye symptoms are treated as urgent. With modern treatment and prompt specialist eye care, severe vision loss has become much less common – the key is to seek help quickly for any eye redness, pain or visual change.

Is there a cure, and will it get worse over time?

There is no cure, but Behcet’s is manageable. Treatment controls inflammation and prevents damage, and symptoms tend to flare and settle rather than steadily worsen. Encouragingly, for many people the condition becomes less active over the years, and most have a normal life expectancy with good care.

Behcet’s Disease Singapore | Mouth Ulcers, Eyes & Treatment

Written & reviewed by the BestDoctors.sg editorial team · Last updated 24 Aug 2026 · General information, not medical advice

Quick answer. Behcet’s disease is a rare, long-term condition in which the immune system causes inflammation of blood vessels and tissues throughout the body, producing symptoms that come and go in flares. Its hallmark is recurring painful mouth ulcers, often alongside genital ulcers, eye inflammation, and skin and joint problems – it is not contagious, not cancer, and is managed by controlling inflammation and protecting vulnerable organs such as the eyes.

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In a medical emergency, or for severe or sudden symptoms such as breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting or stroke signs, call 995 immediately.

The one safety message to remember: any eye redness, eye pain or change in vision needs prompt review by an eye specialist – Behcet’s eye inflammation can threaten sight, and protecting it is a priority.

What Behcet’s disease is

Behcet’s (also called Behcet’s syndrome) is a rare, long-term condition in which the immune system becomes overactive and triggers bouts of unwanted inflammation. Because it can inflame blood vessels of many sizes – from tiny vessels to large veins and arteries – it is classed as a “variable-vessel vasculitis,” and symptoms can appear almost anywhere. A defining feature is its relapsing–remitting pattern: symptoms flare, settle, then return, often unpredictably. It is not contagious and not a cancer. The exact cause is unknown but is thought to involve a genetic predisposition (a gene called HLA-B51 is associated in some populations) plus an environmental trigger.

The hallmark: mouth and genital ulcers

For most people, the first and most persistent sign is recurrent mouth ulcers – painful sores on the lips, tongue, cheeks or palate. They look like ordinary mouth ulcers but tend to be more frequent, more numerous and more painful, and they keep coming back; nearly everyone with Behcet’s gets them. Many people also develop genital ulcers, which resemble the mouth ulcers, can be very painful, and may leave scars. The combination of recurrent mouth ulcers together with genital ulcers is a particularly important clue that should prompt medical assessment.

Eyes, skin and joints

Eye inflammation is one of the most serious features. Behcet’s commonly causes uveitis (inflammation inside the eye), giving a red, painful eye, sensitivity to light and blurred or reduced vision. Because untreated eye inflammation can permanently damage sight, any eye symptoms need urgent attention from an eye specialist. Skin involvement is common (acne-like spots, and tender red lumps on the shins – erythema nodosum), and joints are often affected, causing pain, stiffness and swelling, usually without lasting joint damage.

Less common but serious: gut, brain and blood vessels

Behcet’s can affect deeper systems: gut involvement (abdominal pain, diarrhoea, sometimes ulcers in the digestive tract); neuro-Behcet’s – brain and nervous-system involvement, uncommon but serious, potentially causing headaches and problems with balance, movement, vision or thinking; and blood-vessel involvement, with inflammation leading to blood clots and, more rarely, aneurysms. Because it can affect both veins and arteries, any new leg swelling, severe headache or neurological symptoms should be assessed promptly.

Pathergy and who is affected

A distinctive feature is pathergy – the skin reacting in an exaggerated way to a minor injury such as a needle prick, forming a small red bump over a day or two; a “pathergy test” uses this, though many patients test negative. Behcet’s is classically described as a “Silk Road” disease, being most common along the ancient trade routes – the Mediterranean, Middle East and East Asia, with the highest rates in Turkey. It is rare in northern Europe, but it does occur in East and Southeast Asian populations, which makes it relevant to Singapore. It usually begins in young adulthood (the 20s to 30s).

How it is diagnosed

There is no single blood test or scan that confirms Behcet’s – diagnosis is clinical, made by a doctor recognising the characteristic pattern of symptoms over time and ruling out other conditions. Widely used criteria centre on recurrent oral ulceration (for example, at least three episodes in a year) plus additional features such as recurrent genital ulcers, characteristic eye inflammation, typical skin lesions, or a positive pathergy test. Because the features can appear one at a time over months or years, and because it is rare, diagnosis is often delayed – which is why connecting the dots between recurrent mouth ulcers and other seemingly unrelated symptoms helps.

Treatment, course and the key eye-care message

Treatment aims to control inflammation, reduce flares, and prevent lasting damage to organs and eyesight – care is often multidisciplinary (rheumatology, ophthalmology, dermatology and others). For mouth and genital ulcers, topical treatments (medicated mouthwashes, steroid gels, good oral hygiene) help, and colchicine reduces ulcers and some joint and skin symptoms. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressants (such as azathioprine) are used for more troublesome or organ-threatening disease, and biologic therapies (such as TNF inhibitors) for severe or refractory disease, including serious eye involvement. Eye inflammation is treated urgently to protect sight. The course is typically flares and remissions, and reassuringly, for many people the condition becomes less severe over time, with most having a normal life expectancy when it’s well managed. See a doctor for recurrent mouth ulcers together with genital ulcers, and seek prompt eye-specialist care for any eye redness, pain or vision change. A rheumatologist coordinates care.

Related autoimmune & rheumatology topics

Sources

NHS — Behcet’s disease: symptoms, pathergy, the “3 mouth-ulcer episodes in 12 months + other features” criteria, ages 20–30, treatment.
Behcet’s UK — the “Silk Route” description, and normal/close-to-normal lifespan with management.
Vasculitis UK — frequencies for oral, genital, skin and eye involvement; treatment escalation (topical → colchicine → immunosuppressants → biologics).
Cleveland Clinic / Mayo Clinic — neuro/vascular involvement, biologics (TNF inhibitors), eye-care urgency.

General information only. This guide is general information about an autoimmune or rheumatological condition and is not a diagnosis or personalised medical advice. See a doctor — a GP or a rheumatologist — for assessment and treatment; blood-test results (including autoantibodies) must be interpreted by a doctor in context. Seek urgent care for a hot, swollen, painful joint with fever (to exclude joint infection), for sudden eye redness, pain or vision changes, and call 995 for signs of a clot or stroke (sudden breathlessness or chest pain, or face drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulty — act F.A.S.T.).

Behcet’s Disease in Singapore: Recurrent Ulcers & Inflammation