INTERFERON THERAPY FOR BEHCETS-DISEASE

Background: Behcet's disease was first described in 1937 as a trisymptom complex. No standard therapy has been established. Tts cause is presumed to be viral or immunologic. Objective: We sought to determine whether patients with Behcet's disease benefit from interferon, which has antiviral, immunomodulatory, antiproliferative, and antitumoral properties. Methods: Fourteen patients were initially given 3 MU interferon alfa-2a subcutaneously three times per week. The doses were gradually increased to 12 MU. Each patient received a total dose of 216 MU during the 2-month study. Therapy with 9 MU interferon alfa-2a once a month was continued in half the patients. Ah patients were observed before and after treatment for 6-month periods, and all symptoms were recorded. Results: All patients were symptom free by the end of the 2-month treatment period. The frequencies of oral and genital ulcers as well as pustular vasculitis decreased significantly in the posttreatment period as compared with the pretreatment period. Conclusion: The data suggest that interferon treatment appears to be effective for patients with Behcet's disease.