Sarcoidosis in northern Israel; clinical characteristics of 120 patients.
BACKGROUND
As the clinical features of sarcoidosis vary among patients from different ethnic groups and geographic areas, local reports are of great interest.


METHODS
The files of 120 patients (72 females, 48 males), 65% of Jewish and 35% of Arab origin, with a mean age at diagnosis of 49.7 +/- 11.1 years, with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis, and residents of northern Israel were evaluated and disease parameters recorded.


RESULTS
The mean annual incidence between 1980-1996 was 0.8/100,000. Most patients presented with pulmonary symptoms of at least one month's duration. Thoracic and extra-thoracic involvement was found in 90% and 47% of patients, respectively. Radiographic stage 0,1,2,3,4 disease was found in 9.2, 31.7, 18.3, 37.5 and 3.3% of the patients respectively. Sixty-two patients received medical therapy, mostly for pulmonary involvement. The majority of patients recovered without sequelae. Six patients died from sarcoidosis during the follow-up period (cardiac: 2, pulmonary: 4), providing a 5% mortality rate.


CONCLUSIONS
Sarcoidosis in northern Israel is a fairly uncommon condition that occurs mainly in older patients with female predominance. Patients in this area have a higher incidence of clinically significant pulmonary involvement necessitating medical therapy as compared to other parts of the world.
Yigla
Mordekai
M
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. m_yigla@rambam.health.gov.il
Badarna-Abu-Ria
Nahala
N
Tov
Nareh
N
Ravell-Weiller
Daniel
D
Rubin
Ami-Hai E
AH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology