The activation of signaling pathways associated with immune B-cells may be a key feature that distinguishes sarcoidosis from tuberculosis, according to new research. Both conditions are characterized by the presence of granulomas, or small clumps of inflammatory cells, and can have similar clinical manifestations, such as uveitis, a type…
An immune cell called a type 1 innate lymphoid cell is found at much higher levels in skin granulomas, that is, clumps of immune cells, of people with sarcoidosis relative to those with non-sarcoid skin granulomas, according to research that shows high levels of the cells were also found…
Involvement of the pericardium, a sac-like membrane that surrounds and protects the heart, is an uncommon manifestation of cardiac sarcoidosis that doctors should consider when there’s evidence of heart inflammation, a case report suggests about a woman who reported chest pain during a visit to a clinic. “This case…
The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR), a nonprofit dedicated to finding new treatments and improving care for people with sarcoidosis, has nominated 14 new members to its scientific advisory board (SAB), with an aim of further enhancing research and patient care. The FSR SAB includes world-renowned researchers…
A woman in her 50s in Florida who presented with recurrent ministrokes was eventually diagnosed with sarcoidosis only affecting the heart, called isolated cardiac sarcoidosis, a case study reports. “This case highlights the need to consider [cardiac sarcoidosis] as a potential cause of [stroke-like] events in patients with few…
Nonsteroidal immunosuppressants may be a treatment option for people with cardiac sarcoidosis who don’t respond well to corticosteroids or have side effects from using them, a Japanese study suggests. While nonsteroidal immunosuppressants reduced the need for corticosteroids and how active sarcoidosis lesions were for some patients, more research is…
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,…
High blood calcium levels, or hypercalcemia, may in rare cases be a symptom of sarcoidosis, according to a case report from Morocco. Steroid medications helped ease the symptom for a man with severe hypercalcemia as a main complication of sarcoidosis of the lungs, or pulmonary sarcoidosis, according to…
A 30-year-old man with renal cell carcinoma — a type of kidney cancer — developed sarcoid-like reactions in his spleen, liver, and lungs, which went away after the tumor’s removal, suggesting that such reactions arose from an unusual immune response against the tumor. The man’s case was described in a…
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…
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