Management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory condition with an unexplained predilection for the lung: over 90% of patients have radiographic or physiological abnormalities. Respiratory physicians therefore often manage patients, but any organ may be involved, with noncaseating granulomas the characteristi...

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Main Author: Coker, Robina Kate
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2009
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724188/
id pubmed-2724188
recordtype oai_dc
spelling pubmed-27241882009-08-25 Management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis Coker, Robina Kate Review Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory condition with an unexplained predilection for the lung: over 90% of patients have radiographic or physiological abnormalities. Respiratory physicians therefore often manage patients, but any organ may be involved, with noncaseating granulomas the characteristic feature. Sarcoidosis is the commonest interstitial lung disease (ILD), differing from most other ILDs in that many patients remain asymptomatic or improve spontaneously. Careful baseline assessment of disease distribution and severity is thus central to initial management. Subsequently, the unpredictable clinical course necessitates regular monitoring. Sarcoidosis occurs worldwide, with a high prevalence in Afro-Caribbeans and those of Swedish or Danish origin. African Americans also tend to have severe disease. Oral corticosteroids have been used since the 1950s, with evidence of short to medium response; more recent studies have examined the role of inhaled steroids. Long-term benefits of steroids remain uncertain. International guidelines published in 1999 represent a consensus view endorsed by North American and European respiratory societies. Updated British guidelines on interstitial lung disease, including sarcoidosis, were published in 2008. This review describes current management strategies for pulmonary disease, including oral and inhaled steroids, commonly used alternative immunosuppressant agents, and lung transplantation. Tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors are briefly discussed. Dove Medical Press 2009 2009-08-03 /pmc/articles/PMC2724188/ /pubmed/19707274 Text en © 2009 Coker, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd. This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.
repository_type Open Access Journal
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building NCBI PubMed
collection Online Access
language English
format Online
author Coker, Robina Kate
spellingShingle Coker, Robina Kate
Management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis
author_facet Coker, Robina Kate
author_sort Coker, Robina Kate
title Management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis
title_short Management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis
title_full Management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis
title_fullStr Management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis
title_full_unstemmed Management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis
title_sort management strategies for pulmonary sarcoidosis
description Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory condition with an unexplained predilection for the lung: over 90% of patients have radiographic or physiological abnormalities. Respiratory physicians therefore often manage patients, but any organ may be involved, with noncaseating granulomas the characteristic feature. Sarcoidosis is the commonest interstitial lung disease (ILD), differing from most other ILDs in that many patients remain asymptomatic or improve spontaneously. Careful baseline assessment of disease distribution and severity is thus central to initial management. Subsequently, the unpredictable clinical course necessitates regular monitoring. Sarcoidosis occurs worldwide, with a high prevalence in Afro-Caribbeans and those of Swedish or Danish origin. African Americans also tend to have severe disease. Oral corticosteroids have been used since the 1950s, with evidence of short to medium response; more recent studies have examined the role of inhaled steroids. Long-term benefits of steroids remain uncertain. International guidelines published in 1999 represent a consensus view endorsed by North American and European respiratory societies. Updated British guidelines on interstitial lung disease, including sarcoidosis, were published in 2008. This review describes current management strategies for pulmonary disease, including oral and inhaled steroids, commonly used alternative immunosuppressant agents, and lung transplantation. Tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors are briefly discussed.
publisher Dove Medical Press
publishDate 2009
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724188/
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