Korean J Intern Med.  2018 Jan;33(1):1-19. 10.3904/kjim.2017.377.

Updated treatment strategies for intestinal Behçet's disease

• Park YE
• Cheon JH

• KMID: 2411505
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2017.377

Abstract

Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic, idiopathic, relapsing immune-mediated disease involving multiple organs, and is characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers, ocular disease, gastrointestinal ulcers, vascular diseases, and skin lesions. In particular, gastrointestinal involvement in BD is followed by severe complications, including massive bleeding, bowel perforation, and fistula, which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. However, the management of intestinal BD has not yet been properly established. Intestinal BD patients with a severe clinical course experience frequent disease aggravations and often require recurrent corticosteroid and/or immunomodulatory therapies, or even surgery. However, a considerable number of patients with intestinal BD are often refractory to conventional therapies such as corticosteroids and immunomodulators. Recently, there has been a line of evidence suggesting that biologics such as infliximab and adalimumab are effective in treating intestinal BD. Moreover, new biologics targeting proteins other than tumor necrosis factor α are emerging and are under active investigation. Therefore, in this paper, we review the current therapeutic strategies and new clinical data for the treatment of intestinal BD.

Keyword

Intestinal Behcet disease; Biological products; Tumor necrosis factor-alpha; Infliximab; Adalimumab

MeSH Terms

Adalimumab
Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Biological Products
Fistula
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Hemorrhage
Humans
Immunologic Factors
Immunomodulation
Infliximab
Mortality
Skin
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Ulcer
Vascular Diseases
Adalimumab
Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Biological Products
Immunologic Factors
Infliximab
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha