ABSTRACT
As knowledge of sarcoidosis began to accumulate, practi-
tioners of different disciplines added new information particularly in biochemistry, radiology, immunology and
genetics. This expanded the scope of sarcoidosis (Scadding
In June 1960, the international conference on sarcoidosis
held in Washington, DC, revisited the issue and produced a
comprehensive descriptive definition (Hardy 1961):
Sarcoidosis is systemic granulomatous disease of undetermined etiology and pathogenesis. Mediastinal and peripheral lymph nodes, lungs, liver, spleen, skin, eyes, phalangeal bones, parotid glands are most often involved, but other tissues may be affected. The Kveim reaction is frequently positive, and tuberculin-type hypersensitivities are frequently depressed. Other important laboratory findings are hypercalciuria and increased serum immunoglobulins. The characteristic histologic appearance of epithelioid tubercles with little or no necrosis is not pathognomonic, and tuberculosis, fungal infections, beryllium disease, and local sarcoid reaction must be excluded. The diagnosis should be regarded as established for clinical purposes in patients who have consistent clinical features with biopsy evidence of epithelioid tubercles or a positive Kveim test.
