Inflammation of the heart muscle caused by sarcoidosis is associated with abnormal circulation in the arteries surrounding and supplying blood to the heart, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.

Researchers have discovered that the chronic activation of a molecule that acts as a metabolic sensor in mice may be the driving force behind sarcoidosis development. Since there are approved drugs that act on the molecule, it will be possible to quickly determine whether the treatment also works in humans.

Penn Medicine recently launched a new Apple ResearchKit app for people with sarcoidosis. The app is a personalized tool designed to deliver informational resources about sarcoidosis, provide links to advocacy groups, as well as information about local specialists and support groups based on the iPhone’s GPS. Users of the app can also…

Patients with cardiac sarcoidosis may experience palpitations and symptoms of heart failure that can be misdiagnosed as the psychiatric symptoms of panic disorder, according to a new case report. “Cardiac Sarcoidosis Resembling Panic Disorder: A Case Report” was published in the journal BMC Psychiatry. Panic disorder refers to…

Researchers have developed a way of discriminating between patients who have sarcoidosis complicated by pulmonary hypertension (PH) and those without blood-pressure issues. The approach may improve the diagnosis of those who have sarcoidosis with PH. Their research, “Expression profiling elucidates a molecular gene signature for pulmonary hypertension…

Diagnosing sarcoidosis in patients living in areas where cases of tuberculosis are frequent can pose a great challenge to doctors because both conditions have certain aspects in common, according to a review study. Improved diagnostic tests are necessary to help distinguish between these diseases. The review, “Common Features Of Tuberculosis…

A new study revealed that imaging techniques such as positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) can detect laryngeal inflammation in sarcoidosis patients, allowing the diagnosis of laryngeal sarcoidosis. The conclusion was made based on a case report of laryngeal sarcoidosis in a study titled “An atypical sarcoidosis involvement in…

In patients with corticosteroid-dependent gastric sarcoidosis where the disease recurred, the addition of azathioprine (sold under the brand names Imuran and Azasan) may improve symptoms, according to a case report. The study, “Efficacy of additional treatment with azathioprine in a patient with prednisolone-dependent gastric sarcoidosis,” published in the World Journal…

For the first time, a case of sarcoidosis possibly induced by the use of a combined immunotherapy regimen of Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) to treat a patient with metastatic melanoma was reported. The study, published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, highlights important challenges to diagnosis and disease…

Sarcoidosis may lead to the development of diverticula (formation of small pouches in a tissue) in the esophagus, thus prompting the onset of swallowing disorders, according to a case study published in the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Case Reports Journal. The report, titled “Sarcoidosis Causing Mid-Esophageal Traction…