Multisystemic sarcoidosis-important lessons learnt from one of the great imitators.

Anindita Santosa, Chin Fong Wong, Li Wearn Koh
Author Information
  1. Anindita Santosa: Medicine (Rheumatology), Changi General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
  2. Chin Fong Wong: Pathology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
  3. Li Wearn Koh: Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.

Abstract

We report a case of a woman who was admitted with a suspicion of metastatic malignancy of unknown primary origin. A few months prior to her admission, she presented to a rheumatologist with acute anterior uveitis, psoriasiform rashes and polyarthritis. A diagnosis of psoriatic arthropathy was made and she was treated accordingly. Soon after she presented with persistent back and right upper quadrant abdominal pain for which she had a CT scan done with evidence of hilar lymphadenopathy, liver hypodensities and lytic-sclerotic bone lesions. She was referred to our hospital for further investigations and management. After re-exploring her clinical presentation and further investigations (including a liver biopsy), a diagnosis of multisystemic sarcoidosis with ocular, reticuloendothelial, hepatic and skeletal involvement was made. The patient was started on systemic glucocorticoids and second line immunosuppressants and demonstrated significant clinical improvement with resolution of her liver granulomata on imaging and improvement in her back pain. The case illustrates the importance of a thorough clinical assessment, review of investigations and an open mind in the evaluation of a patient.

Keywords

References

  1. J R Soc Med. 1995 Jun;88(6):335-6 [PMID: 7629765]
  2. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2015 Jul;139(7):867-75 [PMID: 26125427]
  3. J Clin Pathol. 1977 May;30(5):395-408 [PMID: 325017]
  4. J Infect. 2006 Aug;53(2):77-84 [PMID: 16313964]
  5. Eur Respir J. 1997 Dec;10(12):2716-21 [PMID: 9493649]
  6. Tubercle. 1978 Mar;59(1):47-54 [PMID: 635993]
  7. Clin Med Res. 2005 Aug;3(3):186 [PMID: 16160073]
  8. EBioMedicine. 2016 Jun;8:302-308 [PMID: 27428439]
  9. Rev Infect Dis. 1989 May-Jun;11(3):413-25 [PMID: 2665001]
  10. J Radiol. 2006 Apr;87(4 Pt 1):396-8 [PMID: 16691170]
  11. Rev Med Interne. 1995;16(1):63-6 [PMID: 7871272]
  12. J Clin Tuberc Other Mycobact Dis. 2017 Feb 10;7:1-12 [PMID: 31723695]
  13. Clin Infect Dis. 2000 Jan;30(1):29-34 [PMID: 10619729]
  14. Radiographics. 2003 Nov-Dec;23(6):1389-99 [PMID: 14615552]
  15. Hell J Nucl Med. 2014 May-Aug;17(2):123-35 [PMID: 25097898]
  16. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1990 Feb;9(2):74-9 [PMID: 2314956]
  17. Transplant Proc. 2003 Mar;35(2):713-4 [PMID: 12644107]
  18. Oncol Lett. 2015 Oct;10(4):2166-2170 [PMID: 26622813]
  19. J Clin Pathol. 2003 Nov;56(11):850-3 [PMID: 14600131]
  20. Lancet Infect Dis. 2006 Feb;6(2):91-9 [PMID: 16439329]
  21. South Med J. 1967 Feb;60(2):155 passim [PMID: 6016405]
  22. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1995 Feb;14(2):136-40 [PMID: 7746696]
  23. Cutis. 1984 Sep;34(3):253-5, 257-8 [PMID: 6488885]
  24. CMAJ. 2008 Jan 15;178(2):153-4 [PMID: 18195288]
  25. Am J Gastroenterol. 2017 Oct;112(10):1556-1563 [PMID: 28872150]
  26. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2002 Dec;23(6):589-96 [PMID: 16088654]
  27. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2019 Apr;15(4):391-405 [PMID: 30632406]
  28. Pathol Res Pract. 1990 Aug;186(4):485-90 [PMID: 2247378]
  29. Medicine (Baltimore). 1984 Mar;63(2):65-81 [PMID: 6366453]
  30. Int J Mycobacteriol. 2017 Apr-Jun;6(2):202-206 [PMID: 28559528]
  31. Asian Pac J Trop Med. 2012 Jun;5(6):498-9 [PMID: 22575985]
  32. Respirology. 2015 Feb;20(2):226-34 [PMID: 25477156]
  33. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2015;16:71-2 [PMID: 26432997]
  34. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 May;145(5):1205-11 [PMID: 1533998]
  35. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2007 Oct;28(5):486-95 [PMID: 17975776]
  36. Br J Cancer. 1972 Apr;26(2):120-3 [PMID: 5038325]
  37. Panminerva Med. 2002 Sep;44(3):257-60 [PMID: 12094142]
  38. Histopathology. 1995 Jan;26(1):51-5 [PMID: 7713483]
  39. Respiration. 1985;48(3):222-30 [PMID: 2999931]
  40. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2010 Aug;31(4):404-8 [PMID: 20665390]
  41. Sarcoidosis. 1989 Sep;6(2):88-96 [PMID: 2690241]
  42. Eur Clin Respir J. 2015 Aug 05;2:26761 [PMID: 26672956]
  43. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007 Mar;46(3):484-9 [PMID: 16935915]
  44. Skeletal Radiol. 2008 Aug;37(8):757-61 [PMID: 18401580]
  45. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2002 Dec;23(6):529-41 [PMID: 16088648]
  46. Rev Med Interne. 2011 Mar;32(3):e32-3 [PMID: 20646794]
  47. Dis Mon. 2007 Jan;53(1):32-8 [PMID: 17224321]
  48. Arthritis Rheum. 2010 Feb;62(2):616-26 [PMID: 20112401]
  49. Medicine (Baltimore). 2007 May;86(3):162-169 [PMID: 17505255]
  50. Ann Intern Med. 1992 Mar 15;116(6):488-98 [PMID: 1739240]
  51. JAMA. 2011 Jan 26;305(4):391-9 [PMID: 21266686]
  52. Semin Ultrasound CT MR. 2014 Jun;35(3):195-214 [PMID: 24929261]
  53. Medicine (Baltimore). 1999 Jan;78(1):26-37 [PMID: 9990352]
  54. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2004 Jul;19(7):732-7 [PMID: 15209617]
  55. Med Pediatr Oncol. 1987;15(2):82-8 [PMID: 3587119]
  56. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015 May;19(10):1773-8 [PMID: 26044219]
  57. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2000 Feb;42(2 Pt 2):378-80 [PMID: 10640938]
  58. Chest. 2014 Sep;146(3):547-556 [PMID: 24481031]
  59. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1994 Nov;(308):183-6 [PMID: 7525133]
  60. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1999 Aug;173(2):354-6 [PMID: 10430135]
  61. Lancet Infect Dis. 2007 Dec;7(12):775-86 [PMID: 18045560]
  62. JAMA Dermatol. 2013 Jul;149(7):848-52 [PMID: 23783749]
  63. Clin Liver Dis. 2000 Feb;4(1):269-85, ix-x [PMID: 11232190]
  64. Eur Radiol. 2000;10(1):92-4 [PMID: 10663722]
  65. Thorax. 2008 Sep;63 Suppl 5:v1-58 [PMID: 18757459]
  66. Ann Clin Biochem. 1989 Jan;26 ( Pt 1):13-8 [PMID: 2544134]
  67. Cancer Treat Rev. 1986 Sep;13(3):147-56 [PMID: 3536088]
  68. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001 Nov 15;164(10 Pt 1):1885-9 [PMID: 11734441]
  69. Ann Intern Med. 1990 Nov 1;113(9):656-63 [PMID: 2221646]
  70. N Engl J Med. 1973 Oct 25;289(17):878-81 [PMID: 4580783]
  71. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2007 Feb;28(1):83-101 [PMID: 17330194]
  72. J Clin Rheumatol. 2011 Jun;17(4):201-3 [PMID: 21617553]
  73. APMIS. 1991 Mar;99(3):282-90 [PMID: 1708267]
  74. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 1994 Mar;8(1):225-41 [PMID: 8021445]
  75. J Hand Surg Br. 1986 Jun;11(2):281-6 [PMID: 3734581]
  76. Am J Surg Pathol. 1993 Dec;17(12):1272-80 [PMID: 8238735]
  77. Reumatismo. 2005 Jul-Sep;57(3):197-200 [PMID: 16258605]
  78. Semin Diagn Pathol. 2006 Aug-Nov;23(3-4):161-9 [PMID: 17355089]

MeSH Term

Abdominal Pain
Bone Diseases
Diagnosis, Differential
Eye Diseases
Female
Glucocorticoids
Granuloma
Humans
Liver Diseases
Middle Aged
Mononuclear Phagocyte System
Sarcoidosis

Chemicals

Glucocorticoids

Word Cloud

Created with Highcharts 10.0.0liverinvestigationsclinicalpatientimprovementcasepresenteddiagnosismadebackpainreportwomanadmittedsuspicionmetastaticmalignancyunknownprimaryoriginmonthsprioradmissionrheumatologistacuteanterioruveitispsoriasiformrashespolyarthritispsoriaticarthropathytreatedaccordinglySoonpersistentrightupperquadrantabdominalCTscandoneevidencehilarlymphadenopathyhypodensitieslytic-scleroticbonelesionsreferredhospitalmanagementre-exploringpresentationincludingbiopsymultisystemicsarcoidosisocularreticuloendothelialhepaticskeletalinvolvementstartedsystemicglucocorticoidssecondlineimmunosuppressantsdemonstratedsignificantresolutiongranulomataimagingillustratesimportancethoroughassessmentreviewopenmindevaluationMultisystemicsarcoidosis-importantlessonslearntonegreatimitatorshealthcaresafetydiseaserheumatology

Similar Articles

Cited By