Anti-TNF-Alpha Therapy and Systemic Vasculitis

Table 5

Open label and randomized controlled trials performed in BD with cutaneous, intestinal, and central nervous system involvements.

References	Type of involvement/design/anti-TNF-α therapy	Number of patients	Main objectives	Follow-up	Main results	Side effects
Melikoglu et al. [66]	Cutaneous/randomized controlled trial/ETN versus placebo	40 (20 ETN/20 placebo)	(i) Pathergy response and monourate sodium status; (ii) frequencies of mucocutaneous manifestations	4 weeks	(i) No differences between the two groups; (ii) decrease of frequency of mucocutaneous manifestations	No serious side effects
Iwata et al. [67]	Entero-Behcet/open label trial/IFX	10	Clinical manifestations CT-scan	12 months	Rapid and dramatic improvement for all the patients	No serious side effects
Kikuchi et al. [69]	Neuro-Behcet/open label trial/IFX	5	Clinical manifestations brain magnetic resonance imaging	24 weeks	Improvement in 3 patients	One pneumocystis pneumonia
Giardina et al. [70]	Neuro-Behcet/open label trial/IFX	21	Clinical manifestations (CR/PR)	54 weeks	85% of CR 9% of PR	No serious side effects

CR: complete remission; PR: partial remission.