The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India
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J Assoc Physicians India · Jul 2001
Clinical characteristics, pulmonary function abnormalities and outcome of prednisolone treatment in 106 patients with sarcoidosis.
The clinical profile of one hundred and six biopsy proved patients with sarcoidosis is reported from New Delhi. The disease occurred more frequently in males (68 of the 106; 64%) in their fifth decade. Dry cough (83%), exertional dyspnoea (61%), fever (56%) and joint pains (44%) were frequent symptoms. ⋯ Two patients died; one from cardiomyopathy and another from stroke. In summary, constitutional symptoms such as fever, weight loss and pulmonary infiltrates, were more frequently encountered in Indian patients with sarcoidosis as compared to western studies. A high index of clinical suspicion and histopathological confirmation early in the illness are required to ascertain the diagnosis lest these patients will get treated as tuberculosis with potentially hepatotoxic drugs.