Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

A literature review of research performed in specific populations from countries worldwide estimated a heritability of 60 to 70 percent for familial sarcoidosis, a study has found. The study titled “Clinical epidemiology of familial sarcoidosis: A systematic literature review” was published in the journal Respiratory Medicine. While the…

Middle-aged adults with impaired lung function, such as people with sarcoidosis, are at higher risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment, according to a long-term follow-up study. The study, “Impaired Lung Function, Lung Disease and Risk of Incident Dementia” was published in the American Journal of…

Cardiac arrhythmias are increasing among sarcoidosis patients, and they are linked with higher hospital admission and mortality rates, a U.S. patient population study finds. These results, published in the study, “The burden of cardiac arrhythmias in sarcoidosis: a population-based inpatient analysis,” highlight the need for timely diagnosis…

aTyr Pharma, which developing therapies to modulate immune pathways involved in lung diseases, has announced an upcoming Phase 1b/2a study to test their lead therapy ATYR1923 in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. ATYR1923 is an immunomodulatory molecule that’s able to bind to the Neuropilin-2 (NRP-2) receptor protein, part of…

The levels of two blood-circulating microRNAs, called microRNA-126 and microRNA-223, may work as new biomarkers for cardiac sarcoidosis, according to researchers. Their small study, “Serum microRNA-126 and -223 as new-generation biomarkers for sarcoidosis in patients with heart failure,” was published in the Journal of Cardiology. Cardiac…

Infection from the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes is found frequently and at high rates in the lymph nodes of sarcoidosis patients and may contribute to the formation of granulomas, a small study suggests. These results also provide another piece of evidence linking P. acnes bacteria to sarcoidosis. The study, “Propionibacterium acnes-derived insoluble immune…

A small study of a group of patients in Canada who were showing the first signs of sarcoidosis suggests that isolated cardiac sarcoidosis, which refers to cardiac involvement without the disease clinically apparent elsewhere, may be rarer than previously reported. The study, “How common is isolated cardiac sarcoidosis? Extra-cardiac and…

Researchers are developing a new positron emission tomography (PET) scanner capable of imaging the whole body that promises to significantly increase imaging sensitivity, advancing the technology for how diseases such as sarcoidosis are diagnosed and treated. “It will offer the ability to detect throughout the whole body the location of…

Male sarcoidosis patients and those who use immunosuppressive agents — particularly Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) — are more likely to get severe infections than women with the disease and those who don’t take such medications, a French study suggests. The study “Severe infections in sarcoidosis: Incidence, predictors and long-term outcome in a cohort of…

The bacterium Propionibacterium acnes may cause ocular sarcoidosis, as researchers have detected high levels of the pathogen in retinal granulomas of patients with the condition. These findings suggest that new therapies for the disease may include antibiotics targeting the infection. The study, “Immunohistochemical Detection of Propionibacterium acnes in the…