Increased D-arabinitol/creatinine ratio in sera of patients with Behçet's disease during an active phase.

The ratios of D-arabinitol (a major metabolite of Candida species) to creatinine were examined in 46 sera of 40 patients with ocular inflammatory disease and in 50 age-matched normal controls (25 men and 25 women). The mean ratio in patients with endogenous Candida endophthalmitis was higher than in the normal controls. Seven samples taken from patients with Behçet's disease during an active phase showed higher values than in the controls. Fourteen patients with Behçet's disease in remission showed D-arabinitol/creatinine values within normal range. In four patients with sarcoidosis, in two patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, and in 16 patients with bilateral uveitis of an unknown cause, the ratios were within normal range. It is possible that D-arabinitol, or a metabolite of Candida species, may be related in part to the active phase of Behçet's disease.