Renal sarcoidosis

Kidney manifestations of sarcoidosis

Renal involvement is a clinically relevant organ manifestation of sarcoidosis, leading to increased morbidity and complications. Although the exact incidence remains unknown, renal disease is likely to occur in up to one third of all sarcoidosis patients. Every patient with newly diagnosed sarcoidosis should receive a renal work-up and screening for disrupted calcium metabolism. Amid various forms of glomerulonephritis, granulomatous interstitial nephritis is the most common one, but it rarely leads to renal impairment. Histologically, granulomas can be absent. Nephrocalcinosis and nephrolithiasis are frequent forms when hypercalcaemia or hypercalciuria occur. Drugs used for treatment of systemic sarcoidosis can also cause renal damage. Due to its high heterogeneity, renal sarcoidosis can be difficult to treat. Glucocorticoids and various immunosuppressive treatments have been proven to be effective based on case series, but clinical trials are lacking. A treatment guideline for renal sarcoidosis is urgently needed. In this review article, we present an overview of the different forms of renal sarcoidosis and the diagnostic steps to confirm renal involvement; in addition, we provide insights on the management and available treatments. A better understanding regarding the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis is the key for the development of more specific, targeted therapies.

Clinical Pharmacology in Sarcoidosis: How to Use and Monitor Sarcoidosis Medications

When sarcoidosis needs treatment, pharmacotherapy is usually required. Although glucocorticoids work reliably and relatively quickly for sarcoidosis, these drugs are associated with numerous significant side effects. Such side effects are common in sarcoidosis patients, as the disease frequently has a chronic course and glucocorticoid treatment courses are often prolonged. For these reasons, corticosteroid-sparing and corticosteroid-replacing therapies are often required for sarcoidosis. Unfortunately, many healthcare providers who care for sarcoidosis patients are not familiar with the use of these agents. In this manuscript, we provide a review of the pharmacotherapy of sarcoidosis. We discuss the mechanism of action, dosing, side-effect profile, approach to monitoring and patient counselling concerning glucocorticoids, and the common alternative drugs recommended for use in the recent European Respiratory Society (Lausanne, Switzerland) Sarcoidosis Treatment Guidelines. We also discuss the use of these agents in special situations including hepatic insufficiency, renal insufficiency, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vaccination, and drug-drug interactions. It is hoped that this manuscript will provide valuable practical guidance to clinicians who care for sarcoidosis patients.

Systemic sarcoidosis presenting as a rare combination of interstitial nephritis with necrotizing vasculitis and urinary retention due to prostate involvement: a case report

BACKGROUND

Sarcoidosis affects multiple organs and exhibits diverse clinical manifestations. Although tubulointerstitial nephritis is a known feature of renal involvement, necrotizing vasculitis is rare. Furthermore, prostate involvement with urinary retention is unusual in patients with sarcoidosis. Here, we report a case of systemic sarcoidosis with a rare combination of manifestations and different acute kidney injuries.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 66-year-old man developed sudden urinary retention and fever. He was diagnosed with prostatitis and admitted to our hospital. An indwelling urethral catheter was inserted, and antimicrobial therapy was initiated; however, the prostatitis was refractory. Computed tomography revealed enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. Analysis of transbronchoscopic lymph node and prostate biopsies showed epithelioid cell granulomas, suggesting systemic sarcoidosis. During the clinical course, the serum creatinine level rapidly increased to 2.36 mg/dL without oliguria. A kidney biopsy revealed tubulointerstitial injury with moderate lymphohistiocytic infiltration and small-vessel vasculitis in the interstitium. Following oral administration of 60 mg/day prednisolone, the patient's renal function immediately improved, and urinary retention did not recur.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of sarcoidosis with two unusual complications. Given its clinical course and pathology, this case is clinically valuable.