Acute pulmonary exacerbations of sarcoidosis.
Chest. 2012 Oct 1;142(4):827-36
Authors: Panselinas E, Judson MA
Abstract
Exacerbations of sarcoidosis are common. In particular, exacerbations of pulmonary sarcoidosis are reported in more than one-third of patients. Despite their frequent occurrence, there is little medical evidence concerning the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of pulmonary exacerbations of sarcoidosis. In this article, we propose a definition of acute pulmonary exacerbations of sarcoidosis (APES). We review the meager medical literature concerning the risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of this condition. Given the limited information concerning APES, we acknowledge that this article is not a definitive resource but, rather, a position paper that will encourage greater consideration of the pathogenesis, diagnostic challenges, and treatment approaches to this condition. We believe that further focus on APES will improve the quality of care of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.From the Pulmonary Department (Dr Panselinas), 411 General Army Hospital, Tripoli, Greece; and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (Dr Judson), Albany Medical College, Albany, NY.Correspondence to: Marc A. Judson, MD, FCCP, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, MC-91, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY 12208; e-mail: judsonm@mail.amc.eduFinancial/nonfinancial disclosures: The authors have reported to CHEST the following conflicts of interest: Dr Judson has been a consultant for Pulmonary Reviews; Janssen Biotech, Inc; and Celgene Corp. Dr Panselinas has reported that no potential conflicts of interest exist with any companies/organizations whose products or services may be discussed in this article.Other contributions: The authors acknowledge Sooyeon Kwon, PhD, for her outstanding assistance with the tables and figures in this manuscript. We also acknowledge Jared N. Kravitz, MD, who, to our knowledge, first coined the term, "APES."Reproduction of this article is prohibited without written permission from the American College of Chest Physicians. See online for more details.
PMID: 23032450 [PubMed - in process]