Treatment with rituximab can lead to meaningful improvements for some people with neurosarcoidosis affecting the brain and/or spinal cord — particularly those with hard-to-treat disease and involvement limited to some nerves. That’s according to a retrospective study of 19 people treated across four U.S. centers, which showed that…
The treatment of people with ocular sarcoidosis should be tailored based on symptom severity, starting with glucocorticoids. If patients do not respond adequately, immunosuppressants can be added, followed by biologic therapies, if necessary. These are the conclusions of a study in Spain that retrospectively analyzed data from 65…
Cutaneous sarcoidosis, a type of sarcoidosis of the skin, may increase the risk of certain blood cancers, a study suggests. The study, “Hematologic diseases in patients with cutaneous sarcoidosis,” was published as a letter to the editor in The Journal of Dermatology, but the researchers acknowledged…
Elevated blood levels of fatty molecules, or lipids — specifically triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), also known as bad cholesterol — may be linked with an increased risk of developing sarcoidosis, while certain lipid-lowering medications may help reduce the risk. That’s according to a study that looked at…
A study shows therapeutic doses of Atyr Pharma’s experimental therapy efzofitimod were associated with a lower rate of relapse in people with pulmonary sarcoidosis who were tapering oral corticosteroids, a mainstay treatment linked with toxic side effects when given for long periods and at high doses. While the…
Two early-career scientists each were awarded $150,000 Sarcoidosis Research Fellowship grants from the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) to support projects that aim to investigate the causes of sarcoidosis and improve patient outcomes. The fellowships were awarded to Greer Waldrop, MD, PhD, at the University of California,…
Enrollment in aTyr Pharma’s pivotal Phase 3 EFZO-FIT clinical trial, testing the effectiveness and safety of efzofitimod in people with pulmonary sarcoidosis, is now complete. The study exceeded its target number of participants, recruiting 268 patients in 85 centers across the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Brazil. Top-line data are expected…
Microblading, a cosmetic technique that employs fine needles to deposit pigment to mimic the appearance of hairs, may be among triggers for sarcoidosis, according to a study. “When esthetic procedures become increasingly popular, patients with chronic lesions at the injection site of the foreign material, especially macular, papular, or…
A 37-year-old woman in Japan developed a granuloma — the clumps of cells that characterize sarcoidosis — in her thyroid gland that spontaneously regressed without steroid treatment, a case study reports. The woman also showed lesions in the skin and salivary gland, suggesting “thyroid sarcoidosis should be considered in…
The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) has launched the Coalition for Clinical Trial Equity, aimed at increasing the representation of Black and African American sarcoidosis patients in trials testing potential treatments. Despite Black Americans being 2.5 times more likely to have sarcoidosis than white Americans, these patients…
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