Interferon alpha-2a treatment for refractory Behcet uveitis in Korean patients

Abstract Background To evaluate therapeutic outcomes of interferon alpha-2a (IFNα2a) treatment in patients with Behcet’s disease who were refractory to immunosuppressive agents. Methods This retrospective case series reviewed the medical records of 5 patients with refractory Behcet uveitis from Janu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ji Hwan Lee, Christopher Seungkyu Lee, Sung Chul Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2018-02-01
Series:BMC Ophthalmology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12886-018-0719-0
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Summary:Abstract Background To evaluate therapeutic outcomes of interferon alpha-2a (IFNα2a) treatment in patients with Behcet’s disease who were refractory to immunosuppressive agents. Methods This retrospective case series reviewed the medical records of 5 patients with refractory Behcet uveitis from January 2011 to February 2017. IFNα2a was administered at a dose of 3 million IU 3 times per week. Clinical response, relapse rate, and change of visual acuity were evaluated. Results The mean age of patients was 39.60 ± 9.21 years, and the median treatment duration was 6 months. Four of the 5 patients (80%) presented with responses to IFNα2a without any uveitis attack during the treatment period. The mean number of uveitis attacks/year per patient during the treatment was 0.40 ± 0.89. The mean log of the Minimum Angle of Resolution visual acuity improved from 1.44 ± 0.38 at baseline to 1.02 ± 0.58 at the final follow up. Conclusions IFNα2a is an effective therapy for Behcet uveitis refractory to conventional immunosuppressants in Korean patients.
ISSN:1471-2415