[Definition and epidemiology of sarcoidosis]

Abstract

Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease of undetermined etiology with unexplained predilection for the lung. The definition of disease has been evaluated in many clinical centers but final results are still under discussion. Some historical facts of sarcoidosis presented in the paper show that histological and x-ray examinations are key diagnostic tools. Sarcoidosis occurs worldwide, with a high prevalence in Afro-Americans and Caribbeans, and in people of Nordic countries. Prevalence varies with geography and is dependent from environmental factors and immunogenetic mechanisms.