title: Lacrimal gland involvement in sarcoidosis. The clinical features of 9 patients.
abstract: METHODS
  Ocular disease is relatively common in sarcoidosis and can be the initial clinical manifestation in some instances. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical and demographic features of 9 (1.74%) patients with lacrimal gland (LG) involvement out of 516 sarcoidosis patients who were followed up at our centre over the preceding 36-years. In addition, the characteristics of patients with LG involvement were compared to those of other cases with eye involvement and to other sarcoidosis patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 5 subjects with LG involvement, the chest X-ray was normal. The number of stage 0 subjects among other sarcoidosis patients was significantly lower than among patients with LG involvement (p<0.001). In 2 of these cases, the diagnosis of sarcoidosis was reached by LG biopsy. The mean age of patients with LG involvement was significantly lower than that of other sarcoidosis patients (p<0.001). Also, sarcoidosis-related organ involvement--other than of the LG--was more frequent than in other sarcoidosis patients (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It should be borne in mind that LG involvement might be the initial manifestation of sarcoidosis and the chest X-ray in these patients might be completely normal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Lung Diseases, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Turkey. onpamuk80@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yanardag
authors.forename: Omer Nuri
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Pamuk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003607:Dacryocystitis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007765:Lacrimal Apparatus / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000473:pathology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric