Clinical characteristics and systemic treatment in patients with elderly-onset sarcoidosis: A retrospective single-centre study in Japan

Abstract

Background

The mean age at diagnosis of sarcoidosis has been increasing worldwide, yet the clinical characteristics and treatment patterns of elderly-onset cases remain insufficiently defined, particularly in Asian populations.

Methods

We retrospectively investigated 187 consecutive Japanese patients newly diagnosed with sarcoidosis at Jichi Medical University Hospital between 2006 and 2018 who fulfilled the 2015 diagnostic criteria. Patients were classified as elderly (≥65 years, n = 49), middle-aged (45–64 years, n = 82), or younger (<45 years, n = 56). Organ involvement was assessed based on the 2023 Japan Society of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders standards and the 2014 WASOG criteria. The frequency and distribution of systemic therapy (corticosteroids, methotrexate, other immunosuppressants) and treatment indications were compared across age groups.

Results

The proportion of women was significantly higher in the elderly than in the younger group (81.6% vs. 41.1%, p < 0.01), as was the frequency of cardiac involvement (12.2% vs. 3.6%, p < 0.05). Systemic therapy was initiated less often in the elderly than in the middle-aged group (10.2% vs. 25.4%, p = 0.026), and all indications involved extrapulmonary lesions (cardiac, n = 3; neurological, n = 1; ocular, n = 1). Most treated patients received systemic corticosteroids, with a median duration of 7.0 months.

Conclusion

Elderly-onset sarcoidosis in Japan was characterised by a predominance of women and a higher frequency of cardiac involvement. Systemic therapy was infrequently initiated and only for extrapulmonary disease. These findings underscore the need for systematic evaluation of extrapulmonary organs—particularly the heart—and age-adapted multidisciplinary management.