Cutaneous manifestations of sarcoidosis. Relationships to other organ system involvement, abnormal laboratory measurements, and disease course

Abstract

The charts of 329 patients with sarcoidosis were reviewed to determine if there were significant associations between the presence of sarcoidosis skin lesions and other abnormalities. Sixty-four patients had either biopsy specimen-documented cutaneous granulomata or erythema nodosum (EN). Respiratory symptoms occurred in 41% of patients with skin lesions compared with 63% of patients with sarcoidosis without skin lesions. Among patients with skin lesions other than EN, splenomegaly occurred in 38%, hepatomegaly in 32%, and lymphadenopathy in 31%, compared with 10%, 11%, and 56%, respectively, for patients with sarcoidosis without skin lesions. Thirty-two percent of patients with EN had progressive disease compared with 72% of patients with skin lesions other than EN; however, improved prognosis with EN was limited to white patients.