title: Successful treatment of life-threatening intestinal ulcer in Behçet's disease with infliximab: rapid healing of Behçet's ulcer with infliximab.
abstract: Behçet's disease is a chronic, relapsing, multisystem inflammatory disorder characterized predominantly by recurrent orogenital ulcers, skin involvement, and uveitis. Recurrent mucocutaneous lesions may be the only symptom in mild cases, but ocular, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system involvement may occur in severe cases. We report in this study the successful treatment with infliximab of severe life-threatening GI bleeding caused by an ileal ulcer in a patient with Behçet's disease. Antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy could be an emergency therapeutic option in patients with massively bleeding Behçet's disease and unstable patients or those with acute bleeding with other TNF-alpha-mediated autoimmune diseases. Another option for anti-TNF therapy could be as bridging management between conservative and surgical treatment.
authors.affiliation: The Center for Rheumatic Disease, College of Medicine, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, #505 Banpo-Dong, Seocho-Gu, Seoul, 137-040, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hyeon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Seung-Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.forename: Soo-Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Chong-Hyeon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Ho-Youn
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung-Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007082:Ileum / Q000473:pathology; D000069285:Infliximab; D008297:Male; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D000069285:Infliximab