Behçet's disease cost-effectiveness of therapy

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Management of Behçet’s disease depends on organ involvement. Conventional drugs are affordable and effective, but biologics offer superior prevention of blindness and severe complications. Despite higher upfront costs, early immunosuppressive or biologic use reduces long-term disability, hospitalizations, and surgeries. Surgery alone carries high morbidity, emphasizing prevention-focused medical strategies.

Treatment is highly individualized depending on organ involvement (mucocutaneous vs. ocular vs. vascular vs. neurologic).

Conventional therapies (colchicine, azathioprine, cyclosporine) are widely used and generally lower cost.

Biologics (TNF inhibitors, interferon-α, IL-1/IL-17 inhibitors) are highly effective, especially in preventing blindness and life-threatening complications, but are also much more expensive.

The article implies that early and appropriate use of immunosuppressive/biologic therapies reduces long-term disability (e.g., blindness, neurologic impairment, vascular rupture), which indirectly makes them cost-effective despite upfront cost, by lowering hospitalizations, surgeries, and loss of function.

Surgery (e.g., for aneurysms or GI perforations) carries high morbidity and recurrence risk unless combined with immunosuppression, making medical prevention strategies more cost-effective than repeated surgical interventions.

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