Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of clinical, laboratory and radiological parameters, and the relationship of these parameters with radiological stage in 73 patients diagnosed as sarcoidosis between 1995 and 2001. Fifty three of the patients were female, 20 were male and the mean age was 45.5±13 (14-85) years. The most common symptoms were cough (65.7%), dyspnea (38.3%), and weight loss (24.6%). Erythema nodosum, peripheral lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, ophthalmic lesions, skin involvement, bilateral parotid gland enlargement, bone involvement, and buccal mucosa involvement were reported as 26, 4.1, 4.1, 2.7, 2.7, 2.7, 1.4, 1.4, 1.4%, respectively. Tuberculin skin test (PPD) was negative in 46 of the 67 patients (68.6%). Serum calcium levels were elevated in 9 of the 50 cases (18%), serum angiotensin converting enzyme (sACE) levels were elevated in 9 of the 16 patients (56.2%). The CD4/CD8 ratio in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was higher than 3.5 in 14 of the 20 patients (70%). Scalene lymph node biopsy (59%) and transbronchial lung biopsy (16.4%) revealed the histopathological diagnosis in most of the patients. According to the radiological staging, 21 cases (28.7%) were evaluated as stage 1, 42 cases (57.5%) as stage 2, 10 cases (13.8%) as stage 3. We did not find any relationship between the radiological stage of disease and symptoms, tuberculin skin test results, sACE levels, FEV1 and FVC values or lymphocyte percentages in BAL fluid.