[Pulmonary sarcoidosis].

Abstract

Introduction Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease that affects a variety of populations. It was first described in 1869 by Jonathan Hutchinson, a British dermatologist who defined a 58-year-old coal wharf worker with purple, symmetrical skin plaques on legs and hands that were not painful. In 1897, a Norwegian dermatologist, Caesar Boeck, presented a patient with “multiple benign sarcoid of the skin” which histologically showed well-defined foci of epithelioid cells with giant cells. Although, nearly 150 years later, the etiology of sarcoidosis remains unknown and the course of the disease is unpredictable. The immune-pathogenesis involves a complex interaction between host, genetic factors and environmental or infectious triggers which produces granuloma formation. The disease can affect any organs but mostly involves the lungs and lymph nodes. The disease has a wide range of clinical manifestations, varies from asymptomatic patients with radiographic abnormalities to progressive disease causing morbidity and mortality. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease and organ involvement. This review summarizes the pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, pathological and radiological features, and management focusing on pulmonary sarcoidosis.