Pathologic features of sarcoidosis and a case report of unusual gastrointestinal location.

Abstract

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown origin that predominantly affects the lung, although it has the potential to involve every tissue in the body. It is characterized by the presence of non-caseating granulomas composed of a central core of epithelioid cells and multinucleated giant cells surrounded by a lymphocyte cuff at the periphery. The granulomatous reaction occurs as a defensive response against a persistent antigen in a susceptible host. Different antigenic agents for sarcoidosis have been proposed, such as infectious pathogens and/or environmental factors, without any definitive conclusion. In this research highlight we provide a brief review on the etiology and pathologic features of sarcoidosis. We also present a worthwhile rare case-report of gastrointestinal sarcoidosis, with colonic involvement causing gastrointestinal obstruction-related symptoms. We remark the importance of histologic examination to yield a diagnosis of gastrointestinal sarcoidosis, due to the non-specificity of endoscopic and radiologic findings.