Interferon therapy for Behçet's disease.

BACKGROUND

Behçet's disease was first described in 1937 as a trisymptom complex. No standard therapy has been established. Its cause is presumed to be viral or immunologic.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine whether patients with Behçet'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. All 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 Behçet's disease.