Combination therapy including pentoxifylline for entero-Behçet's disease.

Abstract

Behçet's disease is a chronic relapsing vasculitis characterized by recurrent aphthous oral and genital ulcerations with uveitis. Multiple organs can be involved. Entero-Behçet's disease is often uncontrollable, relapsing, and can cause acute intestinal bleeding or perforation. We utilized a combination therapy including 600 mg of pentoxifylline per day, in two doses, to treat three female patients and observed the subsequent changes in clinical symptoms, serum C reactive protein levels, and endoscopic findings. In all three patients, clinical symptoms as well as serum C reactive protein levels improved immediately. Endoscopically, lower intestinal lesions were significantly reduced or healed in all of them. Combination therapy including pentoxifylline appears to be clinically effective in the patients with entero-Behçet's disease.