Ciclosporin (CyA) Versus Conventional Therapy in Behçet’s Disease: Preliminary Observations of a Masked Study

Abstract

Behçet’s disease is characterized by a widespread inflammation of the blood vessels in many organs. It has been classically diagnosed by the triad manifestations of recurrent iridocyclitis with or without hypopyon, aphthous ulcerations of the mouth and ulcers of the genitalia [1]. The large variability of manifestations observed among individual patients, the unpredictable acute exacerbation of the ocular inflammatory reactions and the length of remissions hamper the adequate evaluation of treatment efficacy [2]. Reliable controlled studies of the many modalities of treatment are not available, for which reason success or failure has depended largely on the subjective evaluations of the treating physician. Nevertheless, treatment with large doses of steroids, chlorambucil or colchicine are being used in many centers with variable degrees of satisfaction while others have used levamisole or transfer factor with great enthusiasm [3]. With the emergence of CyA, the treatment of a few patients with Behçet’s disease was followed by a spectacular improvement of the ocular and systemic condition [4, 5]. We have been conducting a controlled masked study comparing conventional therapy to treatment with CyA in Behçet’s disease, and here report our preliminary observations concerning the intensity of ocular inflammation and visual acuity in the first twelve patients of this study.