News

Rituximab treatment may help some neurosarcoidosis patients

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…

Efzofitimod misses main goal in large pulmonary sarcoidosis trial

EFZO-FIT, a Phase 3 clinical study testing efzofitimod for pulmonary sarcoidosis, failed to meet its main goal of significantly reducing the need for corticosteroids among people with the rare inflammatory disease. However, the first-in-class immunomodulatory therapy did show some clinical benefits, according to its developer Atyr Pharma. Specifically,…

4 blood markers may predict outcomes in pulmonary sarcoidosis

Four blood metabolites, or intermediate or end products of the body’s metabolism, could serve as noninvasive biomarkers to monitor or predict disease outcomes in people with pulmonary sarcoidosis — in which the lungs are primarily affected by this rare inflammatory disease — according to the results of a new study…

New screening test may help detect cardiac sarcoidosis earlier

An algorithm that adds newer echocardiography measures and heart damage markers to standard screening criteria for heart involvement with sarcoidosis increased detection rates by 30% over standard criteria, according to a study at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. The new algorithm, dubbed AIIMS…

Microbial exposure in childhood linked to sarcoidosis in adulthood

Higher, daily exposure to microorganisms during childhood is significantly associated with an increased chance of developing sarcoidosis in adulthood, according to a study in Japan. Among the risk factors identified are attending nursing school and using well water. A smoking history during adulthood was also significantly linked to a…