Table 1 Demographic characteristics and main clinical features of Sarcoidosis

Gender

No predominance

Age at onset (years)

Any age

Peaks at 25~40 years.

Nearly 30% of cases in older than 60

[3]

Ethnicity

More common in northern Europeans (60 per 100,000).

Less common in Asians

(1.3–2.17 per 100,000)

In the USA

(35.5 per 100,000 in Afro-Americans 10.9 per 100,000 in Caucasians)

([3]; [15])

 Constitutional manifestations

Asymptomatic (30~60% of cases)

Malaise, Fever, Anorexia, weight loss

([15]; [86]; [102]; [109])

 Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

At least 90% of affected individuals have lung involvement

-Most patients are asymptomatic.

-Primarily manifests as hilar or mediastinal adenopathy

-Some patients present with interstitial lung disease

-Fibrosis of the lung (20% of patients)

-Pulmonary hypertension (in 5% of cases)

([15]; [84]; [102])

 Skin sarcoidosis

Skin lesions (found in 20~35% of patients) and can cause:

Rash,

papules or

Erythema nodosum

([44]; [67])

 Löfgren syndrome

Occurs more often in Scandinavian.

Fever, Enlarged lymph nodes, Arthritis and erythema nodosum

[87, 100]

 Ocular sarcoidosis

Can affect any part of the eye and may cause: Uveitis, Scleritis, Conjunctival-granuloma, Eyelid abnormalities, Optic neuropathy, lacrimal gland enlargement and orbital inflammation

([70]; [115])

 Musculoskeletal

Infrequent May cause:

Nonspecific arthralgia, Polyarthritis (acute or chronic)

Sarcoid myopathy (muscle weakness, muscle pain, or muscle nodules)

[109]

 Cardiac sarcoidosis

Infrequent.

Most commonly manifests with arrhythmias

(tachycardia or heart block).

Less commonly:

Pericardial effusion or myocardial granulomas leading to cardiac fibrosis

([63]; [86]; [132])

 Neurosarcoidosis

Not well characterized due to its rarity. Patients may present with:

Intracranial or spinal mass lesions

Optic neuritis

Facial mononeuropathies

Myopathy and peripheral neuropathy

[79]