Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody in intestinal Behçet's disease patients: relation to clinical course.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to assess anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody positive rate in Behçet's disease and intestinal Behçet's disease and to evaluate whether anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody expression is associated with clinical findings at diagnosis and clinical course of intestinal Behçet's disease.


METHODS
One hundred six patients with intestinal Behçet's disease, 30 patients with Behçet's disease, and 45 healthy control subjects were included. Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody was detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay. According to anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody expression, the various parameters at diagnosis, cumulative relapse rates, and cumulative probabilities of operation were analyzed.


RESULTS
Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody positive rate was 44.3 percent in intestinal Behçet's disease, 3.3 percent in Behçet's disease, and 8.8 percent in healthy control subjects. In patients with intestinal Behçet's disease, age, gender, distribution of Behçet's disease subtype, symptoms, laboratory tests, and colonoscopic findings at diagnosis were not different according to anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody expression. Cumulative probability of a first operation was significantly higher in anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (+) intestinal Behçet's disease than in anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (-) intestinal Behçet's disease: 44.8 and 17.2 percent at one year, and 53 and 24.3 percent at two years after diagnosis, respectively (P=0.006). The number of patients who underwent two or more operations was higher in anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (+) intestinal Behçet's disease than in anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (-) intestinal Behçet's disease (21.3 vs. 8.5 percent). The cumulative relapse rates were not different between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody positive rate was 44.3 percent in intestinal Behçet's disease. Clinical findings at diagnosis and cumulative relapse rates of intestinal Behçet's disease were not found to be associated with anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody expression. However, patients with anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (+) intestinal Behçet's disease were more likely to receive surgical treatment.
Choi
Chang Hwan
CH
Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Tae Il
TI
Kim
Byung Chang
BC
Shin
Sung Jae
SJ
Lee
Sang Kil
SK
Kim
Won Ho
WH
Kim
Hyon Suk
HS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000097:blood*; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D019804:Mesalamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000276:immunology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D019804:Mesalamine