Synbiotic Supplementation May Relieve Anterior Uveitis, an Ocular Manifestation in Behcet's Syndrome

BACKGROUND To relieve the signs and symptoms of anterior uveitis (AU), an ocular manifestation of Behcet's syndrome, we prescribed a synbiotic supplementation (probiotics and prebiotics) for a 49-year-old woman. CASE REPORT Seven strains of bacteria - Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, each 10⁸ colony-forming units (CFU) - and fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS; 100 mg) were given as a capsule 2 times per day. After 7-month treatment, AU was improved and serum inflammatory markers - C-reactive protein (CRP), high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), and estimated sedimentation rate (ESR) - were suppressed. Now, if a mild AU attack occurs, the problem is resolved by treatment with 1 gtt (from the Latin "guttae", meaning drops) eye drop (prednisolone 1%) for 1 week. CONCLUSIONS Synbiotic supplementation may contribute to treating AU, which is one of the most disastrous manifestations of BS, by controlling the proinflammatory processes.