Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody in intestinal Behcet's disease patients:: Relation to clinical course

PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody positive rate in Behcet's disease and intestinal Behcet's disease and to evaluate whether anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody expression is associated with clinical findings at diagnosis and clinical course of intestinal Behcet's disease. METHODS: One hundred six patients with intestinal Behcet's disease, 30 patients with Behcet'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 Behcet's disease, 3.3 percent in Behcet's disease, and 8.8 percent in healthy control subjects. In patients with intestinal Behcet's disease, age, gender, distribution of Behcet'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 Behcet's disease than in anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (-) intestinal Behcet'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 Behcet's disease than in anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (-) intestinal Behcet'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 Behcet's disease. Clinical findings at diagnosis and cumulative relapse rates of intestinal Behcet's disease were not found to be associated with anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody expression. However, patients with anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (+) intestinal Behcet's disease were more likely to receive surgical treatment.