title: 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.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Lungenklinik Heckeshorn, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Loddenkemper
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kloppenborg
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schoenfeld
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grosser
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Costabel
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D009113:Muramidase; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A