TREATMENT OF COLITIS IN BEHCETS-DISEASE WITH THALIDOMIDE

A 40-year-old Turkish man on busulphan treatment for chronic myeloid l eukaemia was hospitalized with steroid resistant (up to 100 mg prednis olone/24 h for over 4 weeks) colitis. On the basis of concomitant orog enital ulceration and unusual, deep punched out ulcers in the colon an d smaller ulcers in the terminal ileum, Behcet's disease of the bower, manifesting as ileocolitis, was diagnosed. Leukaemic infiltration, Cr ohn's colitis, neutropenic colitis and infectious colitis were exclude d by histology and cultures. Treatment with colchicine 2 mg/day improv ed the orogenital ulcers but with only minor improvement of the coliti s. Thalidomide treatment (400 mg/day), however, dramatically improved the colitis within 7 days: fever and diarrhoea disappearing. Colonosco py after 4 weeks of treatment revealed previously giant ulcers practic ally healed.