The relationship between adherence to the mediterranean diet and behcet's syndrome activity scale and quality of life in adults with Behcet's disease

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and Behçet's syndrome activity and quality of life in adults with Behçet's disease, a chronic multisystemic inflammatory disease characterized by an autoinflammatory/autoimmune nature. The study aimed to contribute to the limited literature on the positive effects of MD on chronic and inflammatory diseases and its potential in maintaining health-protective properties. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study with a total of 68 Behçet's disease patients, including 34 females and 34 males, who met the participation criteria and were between the ages of 25 and 50. A questionnaire consisting of general information, food frequency, food consumption records, MD Adherence Scale, Behçet's Syndrome Activity Scale (BSAS), and Behçet's Disease Quality of Life Scale (BDQLS) was administered to the participants through online video or audio interviews. The mean age of the participants was detected to be 37.88±7.20 years and the median value of the disease duration was detected to be 8.50(12.00) years. No individual with a MD adherence score of 10 or above was found in the study. Among individuals with an MD adherence score in the range of [6-9], 64.7% were determined as female and 35.3% were determined as male, while among individuals with a score of ≤5, 38.2% were determined as female and 61.8% were determined as male (p=0.028). The average BSAS score for male and female participants was obtained at 30.12±16.29 and 27.12±10.64 points, respectively (p=0.372). The average disease activity score was found to be 37.11±13.54 for individuals with a MD adherence score of ≤5, and 20.61±7.36 for those with a score in the [6-9] range (p<0.001). The BDQLS is a scale with negative evaluation, and it was observed that as MD adherence score increased, BDQLS score decreased (p=0.001). There was no significant difference in serum C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels between individuals with an MD adherence score of ≤5 and those with a score in the [6-9] range (p>0.05). A negative, moderate and significant relationship was found between the total MD adherence score of Behçet's patients and the total score of Behçet's disease activity (r= -0.577; p<0.001). There was a weak, significant negative relationship between the total MD adherence score and the total score of Behçet's disease quality of life (r= -0.328; p=0.007). The relationship between the total score of Behçet's disease quality of life and the total score of Behçet's disease activity was found to be weak, positive, and significant (r=0.295; p=0.015). There was no significant relationship between the total score of MD adherence and serum CRP, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (p>0.05). Adherence to the MD was found to have a positive effect on disease activity and quality of life. No significant correlation was found between the specific food groups or components of the MD and disease activity. Although this emphasizes the need to focus on the entire MD model rather than individual food groups or components, advanced studies are required on this subject.