Tips & Interesting Facts
WARNING

Before using any medicines you should consult your GP first. You should never use any medicines unless they have been prescribed for you personally by your doctor or other qualified medical practitioner - DO NOT use other people's medicines. Your GP or Pharmacist  should also be told what other medicines you are taking before asking for any new treatments. Consult with your GP before asking him/her to prescribe anything for you explaining what use and what condition you require the medicine for. If your GP requires further information about the treatments described below please refer him/her to this web page, so that an informed professional decision can be made by him/her before any medicine is prescribed.
Accelerated Healing of Mouth & Genital Ulcers

If you are an Asthma sufferer the chances are that you have received treatment through the use of a Beclometasone inhaler. However the active ingredients in these inhalers can also have a phenomenal effect on open ulcers either in the mouth or around the genital areas.

A liberal application of the ingredients found in these inhalers - applied directly to the sore - will normally accelerate the healing dramatically. I have personally used such inhalers for many years for this purpose and can vouch for their effectiveness. When I have an ulcerous eruption during a Behçets flare-up I find that an application before going to sleep at night often has a marked effect before the morning. Using Beclometasone in this way will normally clear up ulcers within a day or so.

About Beclometasone

This medicine contains the active ingredient beclometasone dipropionate (previously spelt beclomethasone in the UK), which is a type of medicine known as a corticosteroid (or steroid). Corticosteroids are hormones produced naturally by the adrenal glands that have many important functions, including control of inflammatory responses.

Beclometasone is a synthetic corticosteroid and is used to decrease inflammation in the lungs. When inhaled into the lungs it is absorbed into the cells of the lungs and airways. Here it works by preventing the release of certain chemicals from the cells. These chemicals are important in the immune system and are normally involved in producing immune and allergic responses that result in inflammation. By decreasing the release of these chemicals in the lungs and airways, inflammation is reduced.

In asthma, the airways tighten due to inflammation and can also be blocked by mucus. This makes it difficult for air to get in and out of the lungs. By preventing the inflammation and excess mucus formation, beclometasone helps prevent asthma attacks. It is not used to treat an asthma attack.

Beclometasone is used via an inhaler device. This delivers the medicine directly into the lungs where it is needed. Used in this way, a smaller dose is required and the likelihood of side effects elsewhere in the body is reduced. If used for ulcers it is applied directly to the area of the sore.

It is also sometimes known as: Aerobec; Asmabec; Beclazone; Becloforte; Becodisks; Becotide; Filair; Pulvinal Beclomethasone; Qvar. You may notice the use of any of these names on the packaging of your medicine.

Before using Beclometasone

Before using Beclometasone make sure your doctor or pharmacist knows:

  • if you are pregnant, trying for a baby or breast-feeding

  • if you suffer from glaucoma or cataracts

  • if you have ever had an allergic reaction to this or any other medicine

  • if you are taking any other medicines, including those available to buy without a prescription, herbal and complementary medicines.

NICOTINE EFFECTS on Behçet’s Disease

 During periods of smoking, patients with Behçet's disease have less oral aphthae than in abstinence. To elucidate this observation, human keratinocytes and dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) were incubated with serum of 20 patients with Behçet's disease and 20 healthy controls for 4 hours. Maximum non-toxic concentrations were determined and the cells were further treated with 6 M nicotine, 3.3% cigarette smoke extract (CES), 100 M biochanin A, and 6.25/12.5 M pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate alone and in combinations for 24 hours. Serum IL-8 levels of patients were significantly lower than those of controls. However, after 4 hours incubation with patients' sera, IL-8 release by both cell types was markedly increased when compared with the corresponding serum levels. The levels of IL-6 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release were after 4 hours similar with the corresponding levels in serum. IL-1 was not detected. Nicotine significantly decreased IL-8 and -6 release by HMEC-1 maintained in both patients' and controls' sera, but only IL-6 release by keratinocytes maintained in patients' sera. VEGF release by both cells was markedly increased after nicotine treatment in either serum. CES significantly decreased IL-8 release and increased production of VEGF in keratinocytes maintained in patients' serum. The phytoestrogen biochanin A alone and in combination with nicotine further decreased the secretion of IL-8, -6, and VEGF in all experimental settings. Our data support a specific anti-inflammatory effect of nicotine on keratinocytes and endothelial cells maintained in the serum of patients with Behçet's disease. Moreover, biochanin A is likely to exhibit similar and even more profound results than nicotine.

 Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2007) 127, 81–89. doi:10.1038/sj.jid.5700492; published online 28 September 2006

Whilst I myself happen to be a smoker - I would NOT endorse the inhalation of tobacco smoke as a treatment for BD. However some of the ingredients found in tobacco may have some effect on the production of oral ulcers. A wiser course than smoking would be to chat to your GP about the use of Nicotine patches.

Epididymo-orchitis

Acute epididymitis is an inflammation of the epididymis. When infection is severe and extends to the adjacent testicle, it causes acute epididymo-orchitis. Chronic epididymitis refers to epididymal pain and inflammation (usually without scrotal swelling) that lasts for more than 6 months. Orchitis (infection limited to the testis) is much less common.

Causes

  • In men younger than 35 years of age, epididymo-orchitis is most often caused by sexually transmitted pathogens such as Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

  • In men older than 35 years of age epididymo-orchitis is most often caused by non-sexually transmitted Gram negative enteric organisms causing urinary tract infections, e.g. E. coli, Pseudomonas.

  • Gram-negative enteric organisms are more commonly the cause of epididymo-orchitis if recent instrumentation or catheterisation has occurred.

  • Obstruction: adults older than 40 years usually have a bladder outlet obstruction, (e.g. benign prostatic hyperplasia or urethral stricture; children may have various congenital abnormalities or functional voiding problems.

  • Men with Behcet's disease may develop a non-infective epididymo-orchitis.

  • Epididymo-orchitis has also been reported as an adverse effect of amiodarone. This is a dose-dependent, and usually occurs at doses greater than 200 mg daily.

  • Trauma to the scrotum can be a precipitating event.

  • Other rare infections (e.g. brucellosis, coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, cytomegalovirus and candidiasis) usually occur in immunocompromised hosts.

Excerpt of information found at www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40024644/

This is one to look out for. I recently had an attack of Epididymo-orchitis (an extremely painful condition). I assumed, when given the diagnosis by my GP that it was a problem not associated with BD (horrible as it is, with it's multi faceted symptoms, Behçets cannot be blamed for everything!). However with a little further research it appears that it may have been the culprit all along - so again all those antibiotics may have only had the effect of killing off some more good bacteria in my body! Again the secret is to be up to running speed yourself and more importantly to make sure your GP is up to running speed with regard to this obscure disease. If your GP needs more information please refer him/her to these web pages.

If you have any "Tips" or have more interesting information that's off the normal beaten track,

then please feel free to

 contact me.