[Low dose cyclosporin treatment for ocular lesions of Behçet's disease]

Cyclosporin is an immunosuppressant that has recently been used for the treatment of Behçet's disease. We evaluated the clinical effect of low doses of cyclosporin (5 mg/kg/day) on 20 patients of Behçet's disease with refractory ocular involvement. The therapeutic effect of cyclosporin was judged by the frequency of ocular inflammatory attacks. It was effective in more than 70% of the patients. On the other hand, it had some adverse side effects such as renal dysfunction, indigestion, and neurological disorders. Most side effects were mild with low dose treatment, but neurological side effects were similar in frequency and severity to those seen with 10 mg/kg/day usage. These findings indicate that low dose cyclosporin (5 mg/kg/day) administration may be acceptable as a standard plan for treatment of Behçet's disease, but that we have to use cyclosporin with great attention to its side effects, especially neurological symptoms.