Stable hyperzinchemic condition in patients with Behçet's syndrome. Lack of correlation with in vitro cellular immune response capacity.

We have observed a significant increase of zinc concentration in plasma and erythrocytes in a group of Italian Behcet patients, evidencing a rare hyperzinchemic condition associated with the disease. The increased zinc level observed does not show any relation to the presence of therapy or with the impairment of the blastogenic response to HSV1, a specific cellular defect in Behcet disease, confirmed in the present study. The possible biological meaning of these observations is briefly discussed.