Epidemiology of Sarcoidosis in Japan (Pathologically-Confirmed and Unconfirmed Cases)

Abstract

Last year, we reported our analysis of the pathologically-confirmed sarcoidosis cases newly diagnosed in 2004. The number of newly registered sarcoidosis patients accepted as having this intractable disease in 2004 were 1, 679, of which 652 had insufficient histopathological findings and excluded from the former analysis. Not Pathologically unconfirmed sarcoidosis cases newly diagnosed in 2004 were eligible for this study. The age-specific incidence rates of both, as seen in a distribution graph, display a similar biphasic pattern, but the second peak was slightly higher in the not pathologically-confirmed group. Abnormalities detected in routine medical examination and subjective symptoms, and the female ratio showed similar frequencies in both groups. In the not pathologically-confirmed group visual disturbance was significantly higher (28.8% vs 46.2%) and skin symptom was significantly lower (9.6% vs 1.4%) than the pathologically-confirmed group. Subjects who had sarcoidosis manifestations only in locations difficult to biopsy (e.g. eye) might have been excluded from the pathologically-confirmed group and those easy to biopsy (e.g. skin) might have been included in the pathologically-confirmed group.