Objectives: To identify the specific characteristics of patients with refractory intestinal Behçet's disease (BD) who required more than glucocorticoid (GC) and/or 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) treatment.
Methods: A retrospective review of the patient records in a university hospital identified 34 patients with intestinal BD. The patients treated only with glucocorticoid and/or 5-ASA (n = 8) were compared with refractory cases which required additional immunosuppressants, anti-TNFα antibodies, or surgery (n = 12).
Results: In the refractory group, ulcers were found outside the ileocecal region more often, and more active intestinal bleeding or melena was observed, than in the GC/5ASA-controlled group (75% vs 0%, p = 0.001), (58% vs 0%, p = 0.015). The refractory group also showed higher positivity for HLA-B51 (45% vs 0%, p = 0.044), higher blood C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (14.7 ± 8.74 vs 3.93 ± 6.33 mg/dL, p = 0.046), and a higher white blood cell or WBC count (14750 ± 6760 vs 7210 ± 1830/μl, p = 0.025) at onset. The existence of either HLA-B51, melena, or elevated CRP of more than 4 mg/dL predicted the refractory form of BD with 100% sensitivity and 85.7% specificity.
Conclusions: Refractory intestinal BD was distinguished from the non-refractory form by distinct clinical and laboratory findings. These findings will be useful in identifying patients who require intensive therapy (e.g., anti-TNFα antibodies) in addition to GC/5ASA.
Keywords: Anti-TNFα antibody; HLA-B51; Ileocecal lesion; Immunosuppressive drug; Intestinal Behçet's disease.