Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif
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The potential risks of beryllium use in the dental industry have been recognized for some time. This is the first case series that focuses on the effect of a number of potentially harmful effects of substances that induce lung disease among dental technicians with emphasis on beryllium as a major risk factor in the work environment of dental technicians. ⋯ This case series study demonstrates that dental technicians are exposed to beryllium and various other occupational dusts and chemicals and are at high risk of developing CBD and other lung diseases. Our findings emphasize the need for awareness of the medical community to detect occupation related diseases in this profession.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Jun 2006
ReviewPast achievements and future directions of sarcoidosis research: a NHLBI perspective.
This history of research on sarcoidosis is largely from the perspective of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Insititutes of Health which has had an interest in this disease since the inception of the Lung Program in 1969. ⋯ NHLBI has continued active support of research in sarcoidosis, both basic and clinical, such as the A Case Control Etiologic Study of Sarcoidosis (ACCESS) program, 1995-2003, whose conclusions are continuing to be published. A workshop on "Future Directions in Sarcoidosis Research" provided new research ideas to explore basic immunity mechanisms in human sarcoidosis tissue and search for latent microbial agents in tissue. The organization of sarcoidosis patient support groups has heightened awareness of the need for research on multiple organs affected by the disease in addition to the respiratory tract. In response, a trans-NIH sarcoidosis working group has been formed to assess this need and to better coordinate NIH research efforts.
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Pulmonary hypertension has been notreported in some patients with sarcoidosis. ⋯ Pulmonary hypertension was commonly found in sarcoidosis patients with persistent dyspnea. For some of these patients, treatment of the pulmonary hypertension was associated with improved clinical status.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Jun 2006
Comparative StudyTuberculin skin test among pulmonary sarcoidosis patients with and without tuberculosis: its utility for the screening of the two conditions in tuberculosis-endemic regions.
Sarcoidosis is an increasingly important condition in developing countries, including those with a high prevalence of tuberculosis. The tuberculin skin test (TST) is one test used in distinguishing these two granulomatous conditions. It has been shown that a negative TST is highly sensitive for sarcoidosis. This retrospective study set out to assess the converse: the role of a positive test in the assessing the likelihood that a patient with sarcoidosis might also have tuberculosis. ⋯ The tuberculin skin test in sarcoid patients has a high specificity but a poor sensitivity for tuberculosis. As such, while a negative TST in the general population is a sensitive test for sarcoidosis, a positive TST among sarcoidosis patients is a specific test for indicating tuberculosis. A positive TST in a patient suspected to suffer from sarcoidosis should therefore be an absolute indication for a thorough work-up for tuberculosis.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Mar 2006
Case ReportsImprovement of small fiber neuropathy in a sarcoidosis patient after treatment with infliximab.
We describe a patient with severe small fiber neuropathy (SFN) accompanied by autonomic involvement, who was experimentally treated with infliximab, an anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) therapy. Six months after this treatment was started his symptoms completely resolved. Until now they did not return. ⋯ This case reveals two important issues. First, it shows that SFN seems not an irreversible disorder, even in severe cases. Second, TNF-alpha may be a crucial cytokine in the pathogenesis of SFN in sarcoidosis and eventually also in other immune mediated inflammatory diseases.