Editorial
Gastric Sarcoidosis
Abstract
Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder of uncertain etiology, characterized by accumulation of mononuclear inflammatory cells followed by the formation of noncaseating epithelioid granulomas at the site of involvement. The disease has a female preponderance, and is more common in the African-American population.1 Virtually all organs of the body have been reported to be affected, but the most common site of involvement is the lung and mediastinal lymph nodes. Involvement of the skin, eyes, and lymphatic tissues is also common. Other organ involvement includes the heart (with infiltrative cardiomyopathy and conduction abnormalities), nervous system (with unilateral facial nerve palsy), and reticuloendothelial system (liver and spleen). Gastrointestinal manifestations excluding liver involvement (which occur in 40–70% of cases) are not commonly reported.1 It is estimated that up to 10% of patients with pulmonary or cutaneous sarcoidosis have alimentary tract involvement, most of which is asymptomatic. An autopsy study of patients with sarcoidosis, however, reported gastroduodenal involvement in 4–10% of the cases.2,3 Only 1% of cases of systemic disease have symptomatic gastric involvement.This content is limited to qualifying members.
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