Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management (Nov 2016)
Management of extrapulmonary sarcoidosis: challenges and solutions
Abstract
Khalid Al-Kofahi,1,* Peter Korsten,2,* Christian Ascoli,3 Shanti Virupannavar,4 Mehdi Mirsaeidi,5 Ian Chang,6 Naim Qaqish,7 Lesley A Saketkoo,8 Robert P Baughman,9 Nadera J Sweiss3,4 1Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA; 2Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; 3Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 4Division of Rheumatology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 5Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 6Department of Medicine, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing, MI, 7Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 8New Orleans Scleroderma and Sarcoidosis Patient Care and Research Center, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, 9Department of Medicine, University Medical Center of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Sarcoidosis is a chronic multisystem disease of unknown etiology characterized by noncaseating granulomas that most often involves the lungs, but frequently has extrapulmonary manifestations, which might be difficult to treat in individual patients. Objective: To review different disease manifestations, focusing on extrapulmonary organ systems, and to provide treatment options for refractory cases. Materials and methods: We performed a literature search using Medline and Google Scholar for individual or combined keywords of “sarcoidosis, extrapulmonary, treatment, kidney, neurosarcoidosis, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, transplantation, musculoskeletal, rheumatology, arthritis, and skin”. Peer-reviewed articles, including review articles, clinical trials, observational trials, and case reports that were published in English were included. References from retrieved articles were also manually searched for relevant articles.Results and conclusion: Isolated involvement of a single organ or organ system is rare in sarcoidosis, and thus all patients must be thoroughly evaluated for additional disease manifestations. Cardiac sarcoidosis and neurosarcoidosis may be life-threatening. Clinicians need to assess patients comprehensively using clinical, laboratory, imaging, and histopathological data to recommend competently the best and least toxic treatment option for the individual patient. Keywords: sarcoidosis, immunosuppressive agents, chronic granulomatous diseases, diagnostic tests
