Scar sarcoidosis: 11 patients with variable clinical features and invariable pulmonary involvement

Sarcoidosis and Its Dermatological Manifestations: A Narrative Review

Sarcoidosis is an enigma diagnosed by ruling out other etiologies of granulomatous inflammation. The multisystem manifestations of sarcoidosis and the clinical polymorphism pose a diagnostic challenge to all physicians. The skin is the most commonly affected organ after the lungs in sarcoidosis. Dermatological manifestations can appear before, during, or after systemic involvement, and the type of skin lesion can have prognostic significance. Also, a biopsy of skin lesions is less invasive and more accessible to perform than a biopsy of visceral organs. Thus, in certain ways, cutaneous manifestations can aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of systemic disease. This article has focused on the frequently encountered skin lesions of sarcoidosis along with their prevalence, clinical features, and management.

Scar Sarcoidosis: A Retrospective Investigation into Its Peculiar Clinicopathologic Presentation

Background

Scar sarcoidosis (SS), a rare form of cutaneous sarcoidosis, develops from pre-existing scars. Owing to its rarity, the clinicopathologic features and its significance in clinical prognosis have been obscure.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate clinical, laboratory and histopathologic findings and to clarify characteristics associated with the development of SS and systemic involvement.

Methods

We retrospectively assessed clinical, laboratory and histopathologic findings of SS. Clinical factors including demographics, anatomic area, number of lesion (single, multiple), presence of symptoms, latent period, injury types related to scar and the proportion of systemic involvement were investigated.

Results

Of the 21 patients with SS, skin lesions appeared predominantly in females (85.7%) and in the head and neck (57.1%). The mean latent period was 163.5 months and 13 patients (61.9%) had multiple lesions. Injury types were varied, with no specific type identified as associated with SS. Histologically, discrete sarcoidal granulomas surrounded by densely packed collagen bundles with a thickening of numerous fibers were observed. Ten patients (47.6%) had systemic involvement and showed significantly more of the multiple lesions, longer latent period and higher level of mean serum angiotensin-converting enzyme than those without systemic involvement.

Conclusion

Various causes of scar were related to SS, but no specific injury type was identified as leading to SS. Although the exact pathomechanism remains unclear, the possibility of systemic involvement could be considered when the patients have multiple lesions, longstanding scars, and elevated serum angiotensin-converting enzyme.

[Scar sarcoidosis: a usually progressive disease (about a case)]

The sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease. It is usually characterized by skin manifestations which may be suggestive of progressive sarcoidosis with visceral involvement. We here report a case of pulmonary sarcoidosis revealed by the reactivation of an old cutaneous scar following a trauma occurred 20 years earlier. Radiological assessment showed mediastino-pulmonary sarcoidosis stage 2. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis should be suspected in patients with any recent scar modification in order to establish early management.

Necrotizing Granulomatous Dacryoadenitis With Non-Necrotizing Granulomatous Scar Hypertrophy: Two Histological Variants of Sarcoidosis in the Same Patient

Orbital involvement with histologic necrosis is a rare manifestation of systemic sarcoidosis. The authors present a case of necrotizing dacryoadenitis in addition to non-necrotizing granulomas in a hypertrophic scar that is consistent with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. A 60-year-old female presented with 2 months of painless right upper eyelid fullness and ptosis. CT imaging demonstrated right greater than left lacrimal gland enlargement. A biopsy demonstrated necrotizing granulomatous inflammation of the lacrimal gland. Additional workup was negative for infectious or lymphoproliferative disease. On further investigation, the patient noted thickening of a longstanding abdominal scar, and a subsequent punch biopsy of the scar demonstrated non-necrotizing granulomas suggestive of scar sarcoidosis. CT chest identified mediastinal lymphadenopathy. A diagnosis of sarcoidosis was determined. The authors thereby present an unusual case of 2 histologic variants of sarcoidosis presenting with necrotizing granulomatous dacryoadenitis and non-necrotizing scar granulomas.

Scar sarcoidosis following rituximab therapy

Drug-induced sarcoidosis has been rarely described but it constitutes a potential side effect of immunomodulatory medications. We report a case of rituximab-induced scar sarcoidosis and review similar published cases. Although there is evidence of B-cell dysregulation in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis, the use of rituximab for this disease needs to be carefully evaluated based on reports of worsening and de novo development of sarcoidosis after rituximab therapy.

Cutaneous Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a chronic, multisystem, inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that is characterized by noncaseating granulomas that impair normal organ functioning. Sarcoidosis predominantly affects the lungs, but the skin is often cited as the second most frequently involved organ. Cutaneous manifestations of sarcoidosis are highly variable and ongoing research seeks to better understand the relationship between clinical morphology and disease prognosis. Skin findings in patients with sarcoidosis can be "specific," in which sarcoidal granulomas infiltrate the skin, or they can represent a "nonspecific" reactive inflammatory process, as is seen in calcinosis cutis and erythema nodosum. Cutaneous sarcoidosis can be the initial presenting sign or develop later in the course of the disease. In some patients, the skin will be the most involved and impactful organ system and will drive therapy. In other cases, the skin will be an incidental or minor finding, but may be easily accessible for biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. There are many potential therapies for sarcoidosis, though no one therapy is universally effective.

Histopathologic features of noninfectious granulomatous disorders involving the skin

Granulomatous dermatoses may represent primary skin inflammation or can serve as the harbinger of a multitude of underlying systemic disorders or drug reactions. Taken together with clinical findings, the microscopic features from skin biopsy can allow recognition of various patterns and facilitate a precise diagnosis. Accurate classification of entities in this category of inflammatory dermatoses may prompt clinicians to investigate for underlying systemic problems, thereby allowing the pathologist to add considerable value in the care of affected patients. This review article categorizes clinical and microscopic features of common and uncommon causes of noninfectious dermal and subcutaneous granulomatous inflammation.