Current therapy in Behcet's disease

Behçet's disease is an inflammatory disorder of unknown cause. There is often involvement of the gastrointestinal system, the central nervous system and large vessels, which can be life-threatening. As well, ocular lesions can cause blindness. Mucocutaneous symptoms are self-limiting but more frequent. Almost all the patients have recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, and more than 70% of the patients have genital ulcers and skin symptoms, which include erythema nodosum, pseudofolliculitis, papulopustular lesions, acneiform nodules and a positive pathergy test. The pathergy test is felt to reflect cutaneous hypersensitivity. In general, topical treatment using corticosteroids is satisfactory for these mucocutaneous lesions unless eye and vital organs are involved.