Current therapy for Behçet's disease.
Classified among the vasculitides, the clinical spectrum of Behçet's disease (BD) ranges from a mild mucocutaneous disease to a life-threatening systemic vasculitis, characterized by remissions and recurrences. The major morbidity is recurrent eye inflammation that may lead to blindness, but severe central nervous system, gastrointestinal, or vascular involvement may occur and might be fatal. In contradistinction to most other vasculitides, the venous system is commonly affected in BD. The treatment of BD is usually symptomatic and palliative. This includes topical steroids for orogenital ulcers, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents for joint involvement, and colchicine as prophylaxis against disease flares (although evidence that colchicine prevents recurrences of oral and genital ulcers is restricted to female patients). Immunosuppressives and cytotoxic agents are used for more severe involvement, and thalidomide and interferon have attracted attention in recent years.
Goker
Berna
B
Department of Internal Medicine, Gazi University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. bgoker@yahoo.com
Goker
Hakan
H
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003078:Colchicine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D003078:Colchicine