Clinical Communication to the EditorSkin and Nasal Involvement: Look for Sarcoidosis!
Section snippets
Background
Sarcoidosis is a systemic, noncaseating, granulomatous disease affecting young adults between the ages of 25 and 40 years, most often of Black origin (35.5/100,000 vs 10.9 in the White population). Although the lower respiratory tract is affected in 90% of cases, ear, nose, and throat locations are very uncommon, with a prevalence varying between 1% and 6.5%.1 In addition, ear, nose, and throat manifestations are nonspecific, and may be difficult to differentiate from other granulomatous
Case Report
A woman in her 40s, from Togo, was referred for nasal obstruction with skin involvement and left epiphora (Figure, A). She had biopsy-proven sarcoidosis with skin lesions (face, neck, thorax) and mediastinal and inguinal lymph node and cardiac involvement. She was successively treated with hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, and corticosteroids that she discontinued on her own initiative 2 years previously. Her medical records also revealed inferior turbinate reduction. She has reported chronic
Discussion
In accordance with previous reports, the nasal symptoms were present at the onset of the disease and may have been worsened by inappropriate cessation of treatments.4 In cases with nasal papulonodular lesions, physicians should be aware of the need to search for sarcoidosis, especially when nasal or sinonasal involvement is present or in the event of previous history of sarcoidosis. If the diagnosis remains doubtful, internal medicine expertise, as well as a local biopsy, should be obtained. As
References (5)
- et al.
Epidemiology of sarcoidosis
Epidemiol Rev
(1983) - et al.
Sinonasal sarcoidosis: review and report of fifteen cases
Laryngoscope
(2004)
Cited by (0)
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: None for all authors.
Authorship: All authors had access to the data and a role in writing the manuscript.