Sarcoidosis in residents of northern Israel of Arabic and Jewish origin: a comparative study.
BACKGROUND
This study describes the features of sarcoidosis among Arab patients and compares it to Jewish patients residing in northern Israel.


METHODS
All new cases of biopsy-confirmed sarcoidosis diagnosed between 1980 and 1996 in northern Israel were divided into two groups according to their ethnic origin: Jewish (n = 72) and Arabic (n = 48). Disease parameters were recorded and compared.


RESULTS
Arabs and Jews had similar incidence rates that increased from 0.2/10(5) in 1980 to 2/10(5) per year in 1996. The peak incidence was in the sixth and seventh decades and the female/male ratio was 2 and 1.4 for Arabic and Jewish patients, respectively. Jewish patients had higher proportion stage II-IV pulmonary disease (78% vs. 51.2%) while their Arabic counterparts had higher proportion of stage I disease (70.8% vs. 41.7%). The proportion of extra-thoracic organ involvement was similar. Different disease phenotype indicated differed diagnostic procedures; higher proportion of mediastinoscopy for stage I disease among Arabic patients (47.9% vs. 20.8%, P = 0.015) and trans-bronchial biopsy for stage II-IV pulmonary disease among Jewish patients (25% vs. 8.35%, P = 0.05). Corticosteroids were used in a non-significantly higher proportion of Jewish patients (56.9% vs. 43.8%, P > 0.05). Of six sarcoidosis-related deaths (5%), five occurred in Jewish patients.


CONCLUSIONS
This study has documented different forms of presentation, clinical manifestation, severity and prognosis of sarcoidosis present among patients of Arabic and Jewish origin residing in the area of northern Israel.
Yigla
Mordechai
M
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa 31096, Israel. m_yigla@rambam.health.gov.il
Badarna-Abu-Ria
Nahal
N
Goralnik
Luda
L
Rubin
Ami-Hai E
AH
Weiler-Ravell
Daniel
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018912:Arabs / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*