Short term cyclosporin A treatment of Behcet's disease

Abstract

Eleven separate three-month courses of cyclosporin A, an oral solution 10 mg/kg day, were administered to eight patients with Behcet's disease with sight-threatening posterior uveitis. It was found to be effective in arresting the inflammatory activity in the eye as well as the mucocutaneous lesions of Behcet's disease. Improvement in visual acuity was observed within one week of starting therapy. Severe exacerbations in the ocular and mucocutaneous lesions occurred on withdrawal of the drug. At this dosage side effects included hirsutism in all women, and a slight rise of serum bilirubins in two patients and of blood urea in one patient. The latter two conditions responded rapidly to dose adjustment.