Clinical findings in 715 patients with newly detected pulmonary sarcoidosis--results of a cooperative study in former West Germany and Switzerland. WATL Study Group. Wissenschaftliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Therapie von Lungenkrankheitan.
OBJECTIVE
Clinical appearance of sarcoidosis depends on the methods of case finding and geographical factors. In a further effort to clarify clinical characteristics of pulmonary sarcoidosis, we examined a larger population of consecutive pulmonary sarcoidosis cases throughout former West Germany and Switzerland.


METHODS
In a prospective multicenter study from January 1982 to December 1984, 715 patients with newly-diagnosed pulmonary sarcoidosis were studied for their clinical appearance, roentgenological and laboratory findings and pulmonary function.


RESULTS
The group consisted of 366 male and 349 female patients with a median age of 33 years (range 14 to 76). 35% presented with roentgenological stage I disease, 51% with stage II and 14% with stage III. Extrapulmonary manifestations were found in 16%. Angiotensin converting enzyme was elevated in 62% of the cases. Lung function tests revealed a restrictive pattern in 19% and airway obstruction in 4%; 2% showed a combined ventilation disturbance. 66% of our patients were symptomatic in contrast to reports from former East Germany, a country with mass X-ray screening where only 18 to 35% of the patients presented with symptoms and 51 to 74% were in stage I.


CONCLUSIONS
Differences between our findings and data from East Germany underline the importance of case finding methods for the patterns of clinical appearance of sarcoidosis.
Loddenkemper
R
R
Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Berlin, Germany.
Kloppenborg
A
A
Schoenfeld
N
N
Grosser
H
H
Costabel
U
U
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005860:Germany, West / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009113:Muramidase / Q000097:blood; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014374:Tuberculin Test
D009113:Muramidase; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A