Efficacy of etanercept in the treatment of a patient with Behçet's disease.

Behçet's disease is a systemic inflammatory disorder without a specific treatment that is chosen on the basis of the type and severity of manifestation in the organ involved. More recently, biological agents like etanercept have emerged as possible therapeutic alternatives in patients resistant to conventional therapy. We describe the successful treatment for 1 year of resistant Behçet's disease with etanercept. After the administration of this drug, a resolution of the clinical, laboratory and instrumental picture was achieved with a suspension of immunosuppressive treatments and a reduction of steroid dependency (5 mg/day). No side effects were observed.