Sarcoidosis
Authors: Anthony O'Regan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2012)

In the Clinic1 May 2012SarcoidosisAnthony O'Regan, MD, Jeffrey S. Berman, MD, Deborah Cotton, MD, MPH, Darren Taichman, MD, PhD, and Sankey Williams, MDAnthony O'Regan, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Jeffrey S. Berman, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Deborah Cotton, MD, MPHSearch for more papers by this author, Darren Taichman, MD, PhDSearch for more papers by this author, and Sankey Williams, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-156-9-201205010-01005 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Sarcoidosis is an idiopathic granulomatous disease. Although often considered a pulmonary disease, it can affect virtually any organ with diverse and protean manifestations. However, most patients present with typical symptoms that are recognizable at the first clinical encounter. Although the cause is incompletely understood, the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis involves antigen exposure in a genetically susceptible host resulting in typical granulomatous inflammation with a prominent Th1-cell–mediated immune response, which either resolves or progresses to organ fibrosis. The identity of the antigen or antigens and the exact genetics of predisposition remain areas of intense research. The clinical course of sarcoidosis ranges from ...References1. Statement on sarcoidosis. Joint Statement of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders (WASOG) adopted by the ATS Board of Directors and by the ERS Executive Committee, February 1999. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999;160:736-55. [PMID: 10430755] Google Scholar2. Cozier YC, Berman JS, Palmer JR, et al. Sarcoidosis in black women in the United States: data from the Black Women's Health Study. Chest. 2011;139:144-50. 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