Autoimmune Sarcoidosis

Interstitial pneumonia Autoimmune hepatitis Overlap syndrome PBC Sarcoidosis... 

Clinical experience with leflunomide in patients with other autoimmune diseases is limited. Extended indications for the use of leflunomide include treatment of Crohn s disease in patients who are intolerant of standard immunomodulator therapy (31), chronic sarcoidosis (32), maintenance therapy of complete or partial remission in Wegener s granulomatosis (30), and mild to moderate systemic lupus erythematosus (29) (Table 1). 

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown origin that occurs most commonly in young adults. Pulmonary manifestations occur in more than 90% of patients. Accumulation of CD4 T cells that proliferate in situ spontaneously produces inflammatory cytokines and causes a lymphocytic alveolitis and granulomatous lesions. The disease is characterized by autoantibodies on erythrocytes (Pilatte et al., 1990), but deregulation of the immune response, in particular the cytokine response, is an alternative explanation to an autoimmune pathogenesis. 

In healthy individuals taking oral antibiotics for acne, laboratory monitoring is not necessary. Orally administered antibiotics also may be indicated in other noninfectious conditions, including acne rosacea, perioral dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, autoimmune blistering diseases, sarcoidosis, and pyoderma gangrenosum. 

Oinical Indications Replacement therapy in adrenocortical insuflEiciency, salt-losing forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, autoimmune diseases, arthritis (Table 10.5), asthma (Table 5.1), dermatitis, cancer (Table 8.5) and sarcoidosis. 

Chronic infections Parasitic diseases Autoimmune diseases Sarcoidosis... 

Sarcoidosis is a rare complication of type 1 interferons (IFNs) (IFN-a or IFN-p) used to treat viral hepatitis and diverse autoimmune and malignant disorders (28,149-154). Type 1 IFNs evoke a Thl lymphocyte bias and amplify granulomatous inflammation (151,152). Most cases resolve following withdrawal of rIFN-a or dose reduction (149,155), but CSs are required in some patients (152,156). 

Costabel U, Guzman J. Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis a new autoimmune disease. Sarcoidosis Vase Diffuse Lung Dis 2005 22(suppl 1) S67-S73. 

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