Long-Term Outcomes in Patients with Hepatic Sarcoid

Sarcoidosis, a chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease that can affect any organ (most commonly the lungs), involves the liver (hepatic sarcoidosis) in an estimated 5% to 30% of cases. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of this uncommon liver disease are poorly understood.

In a retrospective cohort study, researchers identified incident cases of sarcoidosis in one Midwestern U.S. county between 1976 and 2013. They confirmed cases based on histologic, radiographic, and clinical information obtained from medical records, and reviewed cases for liver involvement based on liver imaging, histology, and/or elevated biochemical tests without alternate discernible causes.

Of approximately 350 patients with sarcoidosis, liver involvement occ…