Complications infectieuses de la sarcoïdose

Exertional Dyspnea Incidentally Diagnosed as Sarcoidosis: A Teaching Hospital Experience

Background

Sarcoidosis is a complex disease with nonspecific etiology and clinical presentation. Its diagnosis is often delayed due to the absence of a single specific investigation modality. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary for its diagnosis. Report. A 49-year-old male presented with recurrent dyspnea on exertion, easy fatigue, and chest pain after several visits to different health facilities over 5 months. A diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis was made after a series of laboratory and imaging investigations were done revealing bilateral reticonodular opacifications, noncaseating granulomata, elevated serum ACE and calcium levels consistent with sarcoidosis.

Conclusion

Sarcoidosis, although a rare presentation in our setting, may easily be overlooked or misdiagnosed if a holistic or multidisciplinary approach is not employed in its diagnosis. Nonspecificity of symptoms contributes to the delayed diagnosis.

First report of concomitant cryptococcal meningitis and anti-NMDAR encephalitis

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder, seen most often in young adults and children, triggered by tumors or infections. We report a case of cryptococcal meningitis in a patient with sarcoidosis, presenting prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms, electroencephalographic features of autoimmune encephalitis and positive anti-NMDAR antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid, raising the hypothesis of an infectious immune-mediated mechanism triggering the production of anti-NMDAR antibodies. Since anti-NMDAR encephalitis is potentially fatal and has significant morbidity, further descriptions of its etiological associations are essential to early identification and prompt treatment.

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Cryptococcal meningitis is a rare complication of sarcoidosis and CD4 lymphopenia.

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Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder triggered by tumors or infection.

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A case of concomitant cryptococcosis and anti-NMDAR encephalitis is presented.

Severe infections in sarcoidosis: Incidence, predictors and long-term outcome in a cohort of 585 patients

Sarcoidosis is associated with cell-mediated immunodeficiency and treatment of symptomatic sarcoidosis usually includes systemic immunosuppressants. Data relative to incidence, prognosis factors, and outcome of infections are scarce.Retrospective cohort study of 585 patients with biopsy proven sarcoidosis in a tertiary referral specialist clinic, with a nested case-control analysis. Twenty nine patients (4.9%) with severe infections were compared to 116 controls subjects with sarcoidosis, matched according to their gender, ethnicity, age at diagnosis, and treatment with corticosteroids.After a median follow-up of 8 years [range; 1-46], 38 severe infections [mycobacterial infections (n = 14), fungal infections (n = 10), bacterial (n = 8), viral (n = 3) and parasitic (n = 1)] were observed in 30 patients. The incidence of severe infections was 0.71% persons-year (CI 95% 0.5-0.98) and 0.43% persons-year (CI 95% 0.27-0.66). Patients with severe infection were more frequently of male gender (60% vs 46%) and were more likely treated by ≥ 3 immunosuppressive agents (OR = 3.8, IC 95% [1.5-9.64], P = .005) and by cyclophosphamide (OR = 5.55, IC 95% [1.9-16.1], P = .002), and with neurological (OR = 3.36 CI 95% [1.37-8.25], P = .008), or cardiac (OR = 2.65 CI 95% [1.09-6.43], P = .031) involvement of the sarcoidosis, compared to the controls. Two patients died within the 6 months following infection, due to progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy (n = 1), and of peritonitis (n = 1).Severe infections are observed in 5.1% of our patients with sarcoidosis after a median follow-up of 8 years. Risk factors for severe infections included neurological or cardiac involvement of sarcoidosis, the use of immunosuppressive agents and mainly cyclophosphamide.

Occam's razor or Hickam's dictum?

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic, inflammatory disorder characterized by non-necrotizing granulomas that can infiltrate almost any organ but involves the lungs most commonly. The exact pathogenesis of sarcoidosis remains unclear. Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by Histoplasma capsulatum that also predominantly affects the lungs and is characterized usually by necrotizing granulomas. The similar clinical features of sarcoidosis and histoplasmosis often make it difficult to distinguish these 2 processes. We report a young man who had histopathologic evidence of histoplasmosis and subsequently developed sarcoidosis. The similar clinical and radiographic manifestations of sarcoidosis and histoplasmosis and a possible role of histoplasmosis as an etiologic agent for sarcoidosis are discussed.

Cryptococcosis in sarcoidosis: cryptOsarc, a comparative study of 18 cases

AIM

To describe the main characteristics and the treatment of cryptococcosis in patients with sarcoidosis.

DESIGN

Multicenter study including all patients notified at the French National Reference Center for Invasive Mycoses and Antifungals.

METHODS

Retrospective chart review. Each case was compared with two controls without opportunistic infections.

RESULTS

Eighteen cases of cryptococcosis complicating sarcoidosis were analyzed (13 men and 5 women). With 2749 cases of cryptococcosis registered in France during the inclusion period of this study, sarcoidosis accounted for 0.6% of all the cryptococcosis patients and for 2.9% of the cryptococcosis HIV-seronegative patients. Cryptococcosis and sarcoidosis were diagnosed concomitantly in four cases; while sarcoidosis was previously known in 14/18 patients, including 12 patients (67%) treated with steroids. The median rate of CD4 T cells was 145 per mm(3) (range: 55-1300) and not related to steroid treatment. Thirteen patients had cryptococcal meningitis (72%), three osteoarticular (17%) and four disseminated infections (22%). Sixteen patients (89%) presented a complete response to antifungal therapy. After a mean follow-up of 6 years, no death was attributable to cryptococcosis. Extra-thoracic sarcoidosis and steroids were independent risk factors of cryptococcosis in a logistic regression model adjusted with the sex of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Cryptococcosis is a significant opportunistic infection during extra-thoracic sarcoidosis, which occurs in one-third of the cases in patients without any treatment; it is not associated to severe CD4 lymphocytopenia and has a good prognosis.