TNF-alpha antagonists and thalidomide for the management of gastrointestinal Behcet's syndrome refractory to the conventional treatment modalities: a case series and review of the literature

Abstract

Objective. Gastrointestinal involvement of Behcet's syndrome is usually treated with glucocorticoids, 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds and azathioprine. However, some patients are refractory to these conventional therapy modalities. In this paper we report our experience on 13 patients with gastrointestinal involvement of Behcet's syndrome who were refractory to the conventional therapy and who were treated with TNFalpha antagonists and/or thalidomide.