title: Nonsteroidal therapy of sarcoidosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  None of the medications used in clinical practice to treat sarcoidosis have been approved by the regulatory authorities. Understanding how to use disease-modifying antisarcoid drugs, however, is essential for physicians treating patients with sarcoidosis. This review summarizes the recent studies of medications used for sarcoidosis with a focus on nonsteroidal therapies. Studies from 2006 to 2013 were considered for review to update clinicians on the most relevant literature published over the last few years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several recently published pieces of evidence have helped expand our ability to more appropriately sequence second-line and third-line therapies for sarcoidosis. For instance, methotrexate and azathioprine may be useful and well tolerated medications as second-line treatment. Mycophenolate mofetil might have a role in neurosarcoidosis. TNF-α blockers and other biologics seem to be well tolerated medications for the most severely affected patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corticosteroids remain the first-line therapy for sarcoidosis as many patients never require treatment or only necessitate a short treatment duration. Second-line and third-line therapies described in this article should be used in patients with progressive or refractory disease or when life-threatening complications are evident at the time of presentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, University Medicine Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korsten
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirsaeidi
authors.forename: Nadera J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Sweiss
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001688:Biological Products; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid; D001379:Azathioprine; D008727:Methotrexate