[Plasma exchange in the treatment of Behcet's disease. Preliminary study apropos of 7 cases]

Seven patients with Behcet's syndrome were given plasma exchanges (PE). They all had severe forms, essentially ocular, which had been previously treated by steroids and/or immunosuppressors for a number of years without effect on the course of the disease. The PE was associated with classical medical therapy in all cases. Four patients had daily PE on three consecutive days. Poor results were obtained in all cases with this technique. Five patients had monthly PE and a clinical improvement was observed in 4 cases, usually with a reduction in the number of exacerbations. All therapy failed in one patient who continued to have severe exacerbations. From this short series, PE would appear to be useful in chronic forms of the disease incompletely controlled by medical therapy. In these cases, PE should be repeated. However, a longer follow-up is necessary to confirm these results.