title: Best-corrected visual acuity and frequency of ocular attacks during the initial 10 years in patients with Behçet's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent publications have suggested considerable improvements in the clinical outcomes of ocular Behcet's disease (BD) patients. However, the long-term time course of clinical ocular features of BD in recent cases remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated annual time-course changes of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) during ocular convalescent stages, as well as annual frequency of ocular attacks during the initial 10 years of follow-up in patients with BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 75 eyes in 39 patients (31 men, eight women) with BD, who were referred to our hospital between 1980 and 1996 within 1 year after the initial ocular attack and followed them up continuously for more than 10 years. The clinical courses of BCVA at the ocular convalescent stage from the onset of ocular disease were retrospectively examined, and the numbers of ocular attacks per eye per year were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean BCVA was 0.59 at 1 year, 0.31 at 3 years, and 0.12 at 10 years from the onset of ocular disease, while the numbers of ocular attacks per eye were 4.1 +/- 3.1 at 1 year, 2.2 +/- 1.9 at 5 years, and 1.4 +/- 1.8 at 10 years. Ocular attacks were still observed in 33 eyes (45%) of 21 patients (54%) with BD even after 10 years. Final BCVA in 42 eyes (56%) became lower than 0.5. The major reasons for poor visual prognosis were macular atrophy (41%) and chorioretinal atrophy (26%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The decline of BVCA continued, and nearly half the patients still suffered from ocular attacks at 10 years after the onset of ocular BD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. kabutosi-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshikatsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaburaki
authors.forename: Fumiyuki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Mitsuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takamoto
authors.forename: Kimiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okinaga
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Numaga
authors.forename: Yujiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawashima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002825:Chorioretinitis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007500:Iritis / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000503:physiopathology; D031300:Retinal Vasculitis / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014605:Uveitis / Q000503:physiopathology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents