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Successful treatment of life-threatening intestinal ulcer in Behçet’s disease with infliximab: rapid healing of Behçet’s ulcer with infliximab

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Abstract

Behçet’s disease is a chronic, relapsing, multisystem inflammatory disorder characterized predominantly by recurrent orogenital ulcers, skin involvement, and uveitis. Recurrent mucocutaneous lesions may be the only symptom in mild cases, but ocular, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system involvement may occur in severe cases. We report in this study the successful treatment with infliximab of severe life-threatening GI bleeding caused by an ileal ulcer in a patient with Behçet’s disease. Antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy could be an emergency therapeutic option in patients with massively bleeding Behçet’s disease and unstable patients or those with acute bleeding with other TNF-α-mediated autoimmune diseases. Another option for anti-TNF therapy could be as bridging management between conservative and surgical treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Rheumatic Disease, College of Medicine, Kangnam St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, #505 Banpo-Dong, Seocho-Gu, Seoul, 137-040, South Korea

    Ji Hyeon Ju, Seung-Ki Kwok, Soo-Hong Seo, Chong-Hyeon Yoon, Ho-Youn Kim & Sung-Hwan Park

  2. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, #505 Banpo-Dong, Seocho-Gu, Seoul, 137-040, South Korea

    Sung-Hwan Park

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  1. Ji Hyeon Ju
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  2. Seung-Ki Kwok
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  3. Soo-Hong Seo
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  4. Chong-Hyeon Yoon
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  5. Ho-Youn Kim
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  6. Sung-Hwan Park
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Correspondence to Sung-Hwan Park.

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Ju, J.H., Kwok, SK., Seo, SH. et al. Successful treatment of life-threatening intestinal ulcer in Behçet’s disease with infliximab: rapid healing of Behçet’s ulcer with infliximab. Clin Rheumatol 26, 1383–1385 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-006-0410-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-006-0410-3

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