BEHCETS-DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA - POSSIBLE ROLE OF INTERFERON-ALPHA TREATMENT IN THE OCCURRENCE OF BEHCETS SYMPTOMS

Two patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) who developed cha racteristic features of Behcet's disease (ED) during alpha-interferon (IFN-alpha) treatment and another patient who had a diagnosis of ED pr eceding CML are presented. In the first two patients, features of ED a ppeared 6 months after the initiation of IFN-alpha treatment; they inc luded recurrent oral aphthae, genital ulceration, arthritis, folliculi tis, and a positive skin pathergy test. The third patient, however, ha d a diagnosis of Behcet's disease 4 years before diagnosis of Philadel phia-positive CML. We prospectively examined the skin pathergy reactio n in a group of patients with CML, multiple myeloma, and hairy cell le ukemia both before and after IFN-alpha treatment and found two additio nal patients with CML who developed a positive skin pathergy test foll owing IFN-alpha treatment.