ABSTRACT
Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disorder described more than a
century ago. It can present with various manifestations,
including endocrine ones and it is associated with diverse
outcomes, transient or chronic. Its typical pathological
findings are non-caseating granulomas in the affected tissue
indicating a possible underlying immune reaction. Once
mononuclear inflammatory cells accumulate in the target
organ, macrophages aggregate and differentiate into epithe-
loid and multinucleated giant cells. Then CD4 and CD8
lymphocytes, and to a lesser extent B-lymphocytes, form a
rim around the granuloma with a dense band of fibroblasts,
mast cells and collagen fibers (Newman et al. 1997). The
etiology is still unclear and it is most likely to be the end
result of immune responses to various environmental
triggers. Frequently it presents between the ages of 20 and
40 years, although cases diagnosed in childhood or in elderly
subjects have been reported. The incidence of the disease has
a variable distribution worldwide. Notably, its incidence and
its clinical course varys in different racial groups living in the
same geographical area (Porter et al. 2003). The susceptibility
to sarcoidosis depends on the both genetic and environ-
mental factors (Nowak et al. 1990; Iannuzzi 2007).
