Efficacy of Minocycline in the Treatment of Refractory Sarcoidosis

Its Implication to Causal Agent

Abstract

Refractoriness of the disease based on external and internal causes of the disease has been investigated, and elimination of the external causes has shown better prognosis, except for cases of HLA-DR8 or DR9 (Chest, 1992; JSSOG, 2000). Even so, the need for other treatment is suggested by cardiologists and others to get long-term remission. Since 1999 Minocycline (MINO) has been used for the treatment of four cases of sarcoidosis and its efficacy proven. The mechanisms of its usefulness are documented with two (ATE and IMP). However, in a comparison of MICs between three antibiotics (Table 2), the fact that tetracycline alone shows effectiveness for refractory sarcoidosis (Table 1), indicates that the external cause is indigenous Streptococcus in the upper airway and the effectiveness of minocycline is ATE.