Pulmonary sarcoidosis diagnosis

The diagnosis of skin sarcoidosis tends to be made rapidly relative to other organ involvement with sarcoidosis because the skin lesions are evident and can be easily biopsied. In a cohort of ACCESS patients, the patients with skin sarcoidosis were diagnosed significantly faster than those with pulmonary sarcoidosis (30). Patents with nonspecific skin lesions such as erythema nodosum do not demonstrate granulomatous inflammation on biopsy. Therefore, skin biopsies should be avoided in these patients as the procedure has no value in their diagnosis. 

Hiraga H, Yuwai K, Hiroe M, et al. Guideline for the Diagnosis of Cardiac Sarcoidosis Study Report on Diffuse Pulmonary Diseases [Japanese]. Toyko, Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare 1993 23-24. 

Skin/respiratory - sarcoidosis A female patient with multiple sclerosis developed sarcoidosis 3 years after continuous therapy with IFNp. The patient presented witir low-grade fevers, dyspnoea on exertion, diffuse arthralgias and rash. Noncaseating granulomas and endobronchial biopsies of pulmonary lymph nodes contributed to the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Withdrawal of IFNp combined with a course of corticosteroids and antirheumatic drug therapy led to resolution of the condition [60 ]. 

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