Effects of anti-TNF biologic drugs on uveitis severity in Behçet patients: systematic review and Meta-analysis.

AIM

To investigate effects of anti-TNF biologic drugs on uveitis severity (comparing visual acuity logMAR levels) in Behçet patients.

METHODS

Three databases PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science were searched for qualified papers focusing on the anti-TNF-α factors treatment in Behçet's disease (BD)-associated uveitis. Studies that were designed pre and post anti-TNF drug treatment, were selected. After determining the search strategy for this study, the relevant data were extracted.

RESULTS

The initial search was performed in the target databases and a total of about 1458 articles were found. Fifteen articles were selected for systematic review and only 12 of them had inclusion criteria for Meta-analysis (with visual acuity data). The mean dose of prednisolone before and after biological treatments was reported in 5 studies (28.56 and 7.56 mg/kg, respectively). Also, the preliminary results indicate a significant reduction in visual acuity logMAR levels (MD=-1.5 IU/L, 95%CI: -2.1, -0.01).

CONCLUSION

Biological drugs significantly reduce the dose of prednisolone and affect visual acuity values.