Imaging exams used in the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis may be improved if patients consume a high-fat, low-sugar diet for three days before the scan, a new study says. The study, “Suppression Of Myocardial 18F-FDG Uptake Through Prolonged High-Fat, High-Protein, And Very-Low-Carbohydrate Diet Before FDG-PET/CT For Evaluation Of Patients…

Lower expression of a receptor at the surface of immune cells, called monocytes, in the blood of sarcoidosis patients is linked to disease development. The study “Reduced expression of monocyte CD200R is associated with enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production in sarcoidosis” was published in the journal Scientific…

Researchers from China identified five genes that might be implicated in the development of pulmonary sarcoidosis through interactions with each other. According to the authors, this finding, which was published in the scientific journal Gene, offers new insights into the initial cause of pulmonary sarcoidosis, and lays the foundation for…

Abnormal thymus growth may cause sarcoidosis in certain patients, a case report recently demonstrated. As immune T-cells mature in this lymph organ, researchers suggest that an enlarged thymus may signal the presence of autoimmune processes in some cases. The study, “Recovery of pulmonary and skin lesions of…

Sarcoidosis may be associated with infections by Propionibacterium acnes (associated with the skin condition of acne) and mycobacteria (tuberculosis bacteria), according to a new study. The study, “Is There Any Association Between Sarcoidosis And Infectious Agents?: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis,” was published in the journal BMC Pulmonary…

Cardiac sarcoidosis might be accurately diagnosed by measuring the ratio of immune cells, specifically macrophages and dendritic cells, in tissue samples from patients, researchers reported. The study, “Myocardial Immunocompetent Cells and Macrophage Phenotypes as Histopathological Surrogates for Diagnosis of Cardiac Sarcoidosis in Japanese,” was published in the Journal…

Obesity is linked to an increased risk of sarcoidosis, while smoking was associated with a lower risk, according to a study reviewing medical records of nearly 350 patients. Although the study, “Smoking, obesity and risk of sarcoidosis: A population-based nested case-control study,” published in the journal…

Sarcoidosis should be considered in patients whose blood calcium levels are above normal according to a case study published in the medical journal Pediatric Rheumatology.

The sooner patients with cardiac sarcoidosis start corticosteroid therapy, the better are their chances of improvement and positive outcomes,a new study published in the International Journal of Cardiology reports. The study, “Impact Of Early Initiation Of Corticosteroid Therapy On Cardiac Function And Rhythm In Patients With Cardiac Sarcoidosis,” was conducted…

In rare cases, cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) can lead to heart failure — although this risk is not often considered by physicians unaccustomed to seeing it. Sarcoidosis patients with cardiac involvement, however, have an overall worse prognosis than those without it, according to a study published in  the journal Heart Failure Reviews. Drawing on a case…