Diseases of the colon and rectum
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Behçet's disease is a chronic, relapsing, systemic inflammatory disease characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers, skin lesions, and ocular lesions. Gastrointestinal tract is occasionally involved in Behçet's disease, and the typical gastrointestinal lesions are punched-out, discrete mucosal ulcerations. Corticosteroids, 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives, thalidomide, and immunomodulators have been used to treat Behçet's disease. ⋯ Abdominal pain from recurrent ulcers improved by the fifth day after the infliximab infusion and almost disappeared by the second week. An ileocolonoscopy performed 15 days after the infliximab infusion showed near complete healing of the recurrent ulcers. This report suggests that infliximab may be an effective novel therapy for the management of early postoperative complications and recurrences in gastrointestinal Behçet's disease.