Behcet's Uveitis Research Articles

EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF INTRAVITREAL BEVACIZUMAB COMPARED WITH INTRAVITREAL AND POSTERIOR SUB-TENON TRIAMCINOLONE ACETONIDE FOR TREATMENT OF UVEITIC CYSTOID MACULAR EDEMA

To demonstrate the effect of bevacizumab compared with triamcinolone acetonide for the treatment of persistent cystoid macular edema in noninfectious uveitis. The medical records of 31 eyes of 31 patients with uveitic cystoid macular edema that had persisted despite conventional treatment were reviewed. Ten eyes received 1.25 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB), 11 eyes received 4 mg of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA), and 10 eyes received 40 mg of posterior sub-Tenon triamcinolone acetonide (PSTA). Changes in visual acuity with a logarithmic minimal angle of resolution and central foveal thickness measured with optical coherence tomography were analyzed. The mean follow-up was 22.3 weeks. The best improvement in visual acuity and reduction in central foveal thickness was achieved at 4 weeks in all groups but worsened with time until 12 weeks (visual acuity improved from baseline by 0.19, 0.27, and 0.16 and central foveal thickness decreased from baseline by 167.4 mm, 327.6 mm, and 166.4 mm with IVB,IVTA, and PSTA, respectively; P , 0.001). The results with IVTA were better than those with IVB or PSTA, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. Intravitreal bevacizumab provided a significantly better effect in visual acuity gain in Behcet uveitis than in non-Behcet uveitis (P = 0.045). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that the median period of effect were 16 weeks with IVB, 30 weeks with IVTA, and 12 weeks with PSTA.An increase in intraocular pressure (.5 mmHg greater than baseline) was observed in 1 eye(10%) with IVB, 5 eyes (45.5%) with IVTA, and 4 eyes (40%) with PSTA. Intravitreal bevacizumab was a well-tolerated and effective supplementary therapy for persistent uveitic cystoid macular edema, especially in Behcet uveitis and for patients with the risk of an increase in intraocular pressure. However, reinjection may be required because of the limited potency and duration of the positive effects of IVB.

Safety and Effectiveness of Interferon Alpha-2a in Treatment of Patients with Behçet's Uveitis Refractory to Conventional Treatments

To evaluate the intermediate-term safety and effectiveness of interferon alpha-2a (IFNalpha2a) in patients with Behçet's uveitis (BU) refractory to corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents. Open, nonrandomized, uncontrolled, interventional, prospective study. Fifty-three patients (106 eyes) with active, vision-threatening BU who failed to respond to conventional treatments. In 53 patients, acute inflammation was suppressed with effective prednisolone dosage (1-2 mg/kg/day, tapered to 10 mg within 4-6 weeks). The patients were treated with IFNalpha2a 4.5 million international units (MIU) 3 times per week for the first 3 months followed by IFNalpha2a 3 MIU 3 times per week for the next 3 months. Observation or other treatment methods were performed according to the decision tree developed for this study. Remission and complete response (primary outcome measures), frequency of uveitis attacks, visual acuity (VA), and adverse effects (secondary outcome measures). During 2 years of follow-up (median 65 months, range 12-130 months), compliance with the therapy was excellent. At the end of 1-year follow-up, treatment response was obtained in 45 of 53 patients (84.9%). The mean attack rate of 3.6+/-1.1 per year (range, 2-8) decreased to 0.56+/-0.75 (range, 0-4) per year (P=0.001). Visual acuity improved (> or = 0.2 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution units from initial VA) in 30 eyes (28.3%) and worsened in 12 eyes (11.3%). Five patients (9.4%) did not respond to the initial treatment, and 3 patients (5.6%) developed severe adverse effects, including psoriasis, epileptic seizure, and extreme tiredness. Fifteen patients (28.3%) were off treatment for all the medications and disease free for 28+/-13.1 months (range, 12-50 months). These results suggest that IFNalpha2a may be a valuable treatment option in BU that is refractory to corticosteroids and conventional immunosuppressive agents. The possible role of IFNalpha2a as a first-line agent in BU should be validated in randomized controlled clinical trials against newly described biologic agents. The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

A Case of Miliary Tuberculosis in a Patient with Behcet's Disease and Uveitis Receiving Infliximab

Infliximab, a TNF-α antagonist, has been used to treat refractory rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease and Behcet’s disease. Tuberculosis (TB) is a well-known opportunistic infection in patients receiving infliximab. Therefore, patients should be screened and treated for latent or active TB infection before being administered infliximab. Recently, we encountered a case of military TB during infliximab therapy in a patient suffering from Behcet’s disease and uveitis. We report this case with a review of the relevant literature.

Behcet's Disease with Uveitis in Taiwan

Behcet's disease is a multisystemic inflammatory disease which may lead to blindness. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the clinical features and visual outcome of Behcet's uveitis in Taiwan. The medical charts of 227 consecutive patients (414 eyes) with Behcet's uveitis who were seen in the Uveitis Clinic of Taipei Veterans General Hospital were reviewed: 96 patients (group A) between 1984 and 1993 and 131 (group B) between 1994 and 2003. The male-to-female ratio was 1.6. The mean age at the time of uveitis onset was 30.8 years. Males were most affected in the 3rd and 4th decades and females in the 2nd to 5th decades. There were more skin and gastrointestinal lesions in males, and less skin and genital lesions in group B. HLA-B51 antigen was found in 35.7% of patients. Treatment with cyclosporin, azathioprine and methotrexate was more frequent in group B. Uveitis occurred bilaterally in 83.9% of patients. At the first visit, potential visual acuity (VA) was 0.1 or less in 24.7% of eyes in males and 11.4% in females. The mean time from presentation to loss of useful vision (> 0.1) was 51 months in 19.1% of eyes. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis estimated the risks of losing useful vision at 5, 10 and 15 years as being 22.6%, 43.0% and 58.5%, respectively. VA at the first and last visits were better and VA deterioration slower in group B. Visual outcome is poorer in males than in females and has improved in the recent decade, but still a significant proportion of patients lose their vision quickly. The number of new patients has not decreased.

Visual Prognosis and Risk Factors for Korean Patients with Behcet Uveitis

Purpose: Visual prognosis was evaluated in Korean Behcet uveitis patients. The study investigated factors associated with poor visual outcome, and the effect of various treatments on recurrence-free duration. Methods: A retrospective analysis was undertaken on 99 consecutive Behcet uveitis patients (168 eyes). Visual prognosis was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and Cox’s proportional hazard regression analysis was used to identify risk factors. Results: Visual acuity at the first visit (<0.5), presence of vasculitis, male gender, and posterior/panuveitis type were associated with poor visual prognosis. Visual acuity at the first visit was found to be the most significant risk factor (hazard ratio = 7.392, p = 0.007). Analysis of 9 different treatment modalities showed patients treated with steroids had longer recurrence-free periods than those not treated with steroids (p = 0.0053, t test). Conclusion: Whilethe long-term visual prognosis for Behcet uveitis may be affected by many factors, the initial visual acuity appears to be the most significant. Treatments involving steroids appear to decrease the frequency of uveitis recurrence.

Safety and efficacy of infliximab therapy in active behcet’s uveitis: an open-label trial

In this open-label trial, ten male patients with active Behcet's uveitis were enrolled. Initially, two infliximab infusions (5 mg/kg) were given at weeks 0 and 2. The patients continued to receive conventional therapy on recurrence of severe uveitis (RSU) attack. The patients with further attack were regularly given infliximab infusions every 8 weeks. In cases of further RSU attacks, the infusion interval was reduced to 6 weeks. The total follow-up period was 3 years. The patients were monitored for RSU, visual acuity and adverse effects. Reduction in the doses of prednisolone was also monitored. After receiving two infliximab infusions at weeks 0 and 2, three patients remained attack-free and seven patients had another RSU attack between 8th and 47th week. These patients were regularly given infliximab at 8-week intervals. Five out of seven patients remained attack-free. In two patients who had further attack, infusion frequency was increased to 6 weeks. There was a remarkable improvement in visual acuity with no significant adverse reaction except mild respiratory tract infection (two patients), headache (one patient) and mild infusion reaction (one patient). Infliximab is a safe and effective drug for the management of Behcet's uveitis. Selection of optimal dose and frequency of infusion required standardization for individual patient.

Pattern of uveitis in Behçet’s disease in a referral center in Tunisia, North Africa

The purpose of this study was to analyze the pattern of uveitis in Behçet's disease in Tunisia, North Africa. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 62 patients (111 eyes) diagnosed with Behçet's uveitis (BU) at the Department of Ophthalmology, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia, between January 1995 and December 2006. Forty-seven of 62 patients (75.8%) were men and 15 (24.2%) were women. Mean age at onset was 29.3 years. The average follow-up was 75.6 months. The most common extraocular clinical manifestations were recurrent oral ulcer in all patients and pseudofolliculitis in 52 patients (83.9%). Uveitis was bilateral in 79%. Initial best-corrected visual acuity was > or =20/40 in 41 affected eyes (36.9%) and <20/200 in 49 affected eyes (44.2%). Panuveitis (68 eyes, 61.3%) and posterior uveitis (38 eyes, 34.2%) were the most common forms, followed by anterior uveitis (five eyes, 4.5%). Retinal vasculitis was found in 89 eyes (80.2%). Most common complications included posterior synechiae (32.4%), cataract (31.5%), and cystoid macular edema (19.8%). Systemic corticosteroids were administered in 58 patients (93.5%). Immunosuppressive drugs were used in 22 patients (35.5%). Fifty-six affected eyes (50.5%) had final visual acuity > or =20/40 and 34 affected eyes (30.6%) had final visual acuity <20/200. In Tunisia, BU affects predominantly young men. Bilateral panuveitis associated with retinal vasculitis was the most common ocular manifestation. More than 50% of patients maintained a visual acuity of 20/40 or better, and immunosuppressive therapy probably contributed to the improvement of visual prognosis of these patients.

Kaposi’s Sarcoma in Association with Behcet’s Disease: Case Report and Literature Review

To describe a case of Behcet's uveitis associated with Kaposi's sarcoma occurring simultaneously in a patient and to review the literature on iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma. We describe the case of a 44-year-old Moroccan man, who developed a Kaposi's sarcoma 8 months after immunosuppressive therapy for ocular Behçet's disease. He was treated with corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide (Exdoxan, Baxter) pulse for 6 months followed by oral azathioprine (Imurel, Glaxo Smith Kline). Literature searches were performed on iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma and other cases of such association and the potential pathogenic mechanisms involved. Iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma is widely reported to develop after renal transplantation during immunosuppressive therapy. Less commonly, Kaposi's sarcoma occurs in patients receiving long-term corticosteroids or immunosuppressive therapy for rheumatic diseases. It is considered to be induced by activation of latent human herpes virus 8. To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient with ocular Behçet's disease. Interferon-alpha is of value for patients with both conditions. This case report underscores the relationship between environmental and infectious factors, drug-induced immunosuppression, and the development of Kaposi's sarcoma.

Short-term Effects and Side Effects of Tacrolimus for Behçet's Uveitis

Purpose: To investigate the clinical effects and side effects of Tacrolimus for ocular Behcet's disease. Methods: Eight patients (male: 5, age: 35±7.5 (25-48) years) with Behcet's uveitis, refractory posterior uveitis unresponsive to combination treatment with cyclosporine, azathioprine, and oral steroid or significant cyclosporine-related adverse effects were recruited prospectively, and cyclosporine was switched to Tacrolimus. Visual acuity, degree of anterior chamber, and vitreous haze were compared before the conversion and three months after. Oral glucose tolerance, plasma insulin, cholesterol, creatinine, and aspartate (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured to monitor systemic effects. Results: Visual acuity did not change significantly after conversion to Tacrolimus. Anterior chamber (seven patients) and vitreous (four patients) inflammation were found before conversion and decreased or disappeared after conversion. Overall plasma levels of glucose, insulin, creatinine, and AST/ALT were similar before and after conversion. However, cholesterol was significantly decreased after conversion (p=0.028). One patient developed diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: Tacrolimus may be effective for Behcet's uveitis unresponsive to or intolerable of traditional treatments. In addition, periodic monitoring for side effects, such as hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus, may be necessary.

Analysis of Doppler ultrasound signals based on fuzzy similarity index

Abstract In this paper, we introduced fuzzy similarity index for analysis of the Doppler ultrasound signals. Doppler ultrasonography is a reliable technique, which demonstrates the flow characteristics and resistance of arteries in various arterial diseases. The analyzed ophthalmic arterial (OA) Doppler signals were recorded from healthy subjects and subjects suffering from ophthalmic artery stenosis, ocular Behcet disease and uveitis disease. The OA Doppler signals were decomposed into time–frequency representations using discrete wavelet transform and wavelet coefficients were calculated to represent the signals. The aim of the study is discriminating the OA Doppler signals by the combination of wavelet coefficients and fuzzy similarity index. Toward achieving this aim, fuzzy sets were obtained from the feature sets (wavelet coefficients) of the signals under study. Our results demonstrated that the similarity between the fuzzy sets of the studied signals indicated the variabilities in the OA Doppler signals. Thus, the fuzzy similarity index could discriminate the healthy OA Doppler signals and the other three disease states (stenosis, ocular Behcet disease and uveitis).

Elevated soluble Fas in aqueous humor of patients with Behcet's uveitis: correlation with uveitis severity.

To examine the role of soluble Fas (sFas) in patients with Behcet's uveitis. We measured the sFas levels in both sera and aqueous humor (AH) of patients (n = 40) with uveitis and of non-uveitis controls (n = 27) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The patients with uveitis comprised 24 with Behcet's disease, 6 pan-uveitis, 5 anterior uveitis, 2 lens-induced uveitis, 1 Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, 1 sarcoidosis, and 1 retinal vasculitis. The severity of uveitis was determined by the Hogan grading method (0--4 grade) at the time of sampling. The concentration of aqueous sFas in uveitis patients was significantly higher than that in non-uveitis controls, while there was no difference in the serum concentration of sFas between the two groups. In the paired samples of serum and AH, obtained simultaneously, the aqueous sFas levels were higher than serum Fas levels in patients with uveitis, whereas the non-uveitis controls displayed significantly lower sFas levels in AH than in the serum. The sFas levels in AH or serum were not different between Behcet's uveitis patients and non-Behcet's uveitis patients. However, in patients with Behcet's uveitis, circulating sFas strongly correlated with aqueous sFas, which was not so in those with non-Behcet's uveitis. Patients (n = 29) with more active (grade greater-than-or-equal 2) uveitis had significantly higher levels of aqueous sFas than those (n = 11) with less active (grade < 2) uveitis. After treatment with steroids and/or immunosuppressive agents, aqueous sFas levels decreased in parallel with a reduction in the number of inflammatory cells. The levels of sFas were elevated in patients with Behcet's uveitis and correlated well with the uveitis severity in these patients.

Evaluation of Behçet's uveitis with gallium-67 scintigraphy

The role of gallium-67 scintigraphy in Behcet's uveitis was evaluated. Pattern and quantitative comparisons were made in patients with active Behcet's uveitis, uveitis in remission, and ocular sarcoidosis. There were statistically significant differences between groups. Our data suggest the persistence of inflammatory cells even in remission stages of Behcet's uveitis. In the presence of certain patterns, gallium-67 scintigraphy can make limited contributions in the evaluation of Behcet's disease or sarcoidosis.

Intraocular lens implantation in an eye with Behcet's uveitis

A case of intraocular lens implantation in a patient with Behcet's uveitis is presented. During a 12-month follow-up the uveitis did not flare up and no other complication developed.

Cyclosporin treatment in uveitis

With Cyclosporin, a recently developed immunosuppressant drug, the authors treated eight patients with noninfectious chronic uveitis: intermediate uveitis (4), Behcet's disease (2), chorioiditis (1), and anterior uveitis (1). Therapy had to be discontinued in six patients who responded poorly or manifested severe side effects. In four cases the Cyclosporin concentration in the aqueous humor was determined. In spite of a concentration of about 900 ng/ml there was a deterioration in two cases with intermediate uveitis and Behcet's disease. Only one of the eight patients with intermediate uveitis responded well without any recurrence.