Ocular manifestations of Behçet's disease.

The manifestations, possible etiological factors and therapeutical modalities of ocular Behçet are outlined. The major ocular findings involve both the anterior and posterior uvea. The vasculitis retinae, the periphlebitis and the pipe stem sheathing along with the recurrent vitreous hemorrhages lead to the visual impairment. Exacerbation and remission of the ocular inflammatory processes are characteristic. However, the impairment of visual function occurring after each attack is generally irreversible. The effectiveness of the present modalities of treatment is uncertain. Chlorambucil in doses of 6-8 mg daily appears to have an outstanding beneficial effect. However, carefully monitored control studies are lacking and should be conducted before any unequivocal conclusions can be reached. It appears to us that the etiology-pathology of Behçet's disease might be a sequence of events triggered by an interaction between a virus and specific receptors on the host cell membrane (HLA determined?). This initial interaction is followed by a malregulation of the host immune mechanism leading to autoimmune phenomena which are characteristics of the disease.