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Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Skin involvement may occur in one third of patients. The classic histologic presentation is of naked sarcoidal granulomas (NSGs) believed to represent an exaggerated Th1-type immune response to infectious or exogenous stimuli in a genetically predisposed person whose macrophages cannot process particular substances. This descriptive study identifies the histologic spectrum of cutaneous involvement by sarcoidosis.
Researchers reviewed 28 sequential biopsy samples from 24 patients with systemic sarcoidosis seen at Vancouver General Hospital (median age, 57; about 65% women). Biopsies were obtained most often from the leg, arm, face, and back. Most sampled lesions had been clinically d…