INTERFERON ALFA-2A IN THE TREATMENT OF BEHCETS-DISEASE

Background: There is no definite treatment for Behcet's disease. New d rugs are being evaluated in cases unresponsive to conventional treatme nt modalities. Objective: In this study we investigated the efficacy o f interferon alfa-2a on skin lesions in 18 Behcet's disease patients w ho had predominantly mucocutaneous involvement. Methods: Eighteen pati ents with Behcet's disease were treated with interferon alfa-2a at 3 m illion IU/day in the first week (three times a week), 6 million IU/day in the second week (three times a week), 9 million IU/day in the thir d week and thereafter (three times a week), Interferon alfa-2a was adm inistered subcutaneously for a total of 12 weeks, Results: At the end of the treatment the efficacy of the drug was found to be good in 9 pa tients and very good in 7 patients, Interferon alfa-2a is particularly effective in skin manifestations such as genital ulceration and eryth ema-nodosum-like lesions. It was also found to be effective in systemi c manifestations such as fever, diarrhea and eye involvement. Conclusi on: Our results indicate that interferon alfa-2a is a promising drug i n the treatment of Behcet's disease.