prognosis
Last reviewed 01/2018
Patients with sarcoidosis generally have a good prognosis (1).
Some information concerning the prognosis in sarcoidosis is given below:
- spontaneous remission is seen in
- 55–90% of patients with stage I radiological disease
- 40–70% with stage II disease
- 10–20% with stage III disease
- 0% in stage IV disease (2).
- In majority of patients remission occurs within the first 6 months (2)
- the disease wax and wane (can be spontaneous or after treatment)
- adverse prognosis is seen in patients with
- those aged 40 or more at onset
- black patients
- lupus pernio
- chronic uveitis
- chronic hepercalcaemia
- nephrocalcinosis
- progressive pulmonary sarcoidosis
- cystic bone lesions
- neurosarcoidosis
- myocardial involvement (1,2)
- HLA-B13 and HLA-D27 appear to be markers of more chronic disease
- overall mortality in sarcoidosis is estimated to be around 1–5% , majority are due to pulmonary, myocardial or CNS involvement (3)
- as many as 10% will become disabled by pulmonary fibrosis
Reference:
- (1) Dempsey OJ et al. Sarcoidosis. BMJ. 2009 Aug 28;339:b3206
- (2) Wu JJ, Schiff KR. Sarcoidosis. Am Fam Physician. 2004;70(2):312-22.
- (3) Bradley B et al.Interstitial lung disease guideline: the British Thoracic Society in collaboration with the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Irish Thoracic Society. Thorax. 2008;63 Suppl 5:v1-58.