title: Long-term Efficacy of Interferon in Severe Uveitis Associated with Behçet Disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively assess the frequency of ocular relapse and the possibility of long-term remission in patients treated with interferon (IFN) for severe uveitis associated with Behçet disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients were treated with an initial dosage of 3 million IU IFN three times a week. The main outcome measure was the number of relapses per person per year before, during, and after IFN treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 36 patients (67 eyes), 31 (86.1%) responded to IFN. The mean follow-up was 8.19 years. Twenty-one out of 36 patients discontinued IFN and 76% of these have not relapsed within 5.05 years after discontinuation. The mean relapse per person per year decreased significantly from 1.39 to 0.0496 (p = 1.82×10-10) during the treatment period and remained at 0.057 relapses per person per year after IFN discontinuation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IFN efficiently decreases the relapse rate and seems to permit long-term remission even after discontinuation.
authors.affiliation: a Ophthalmology Department , Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital , Paris , France.
authors.forename: Eléonore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Diwo
authors.affiliation: b Ophthalmology Department , Charles Nicolle Hospital , Rouen , France.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gueudry
authors.affiliation: c Internal Medicine Department , Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital , Paris , France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saadoun
authors.affiliation: c Internal Medicine Department , Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital , Paris , France.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weschler
authors.affiliation: a Ophthalmology Department , Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital , Paris , France.
authors.forename: Phuc
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: LeHoang
authors.affiliation: a Ophthalmology Department , Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital , Paris , France.
authors.forename: Bahram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bodaghi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015864:Panuveitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
keywords: Behçet disease; interferon therapy; panuveitis