Muscle Involvement in Sarcoidosis

Abstract

SARCOIDOSIS is a systemic granulomatous disease of undetermined etiology, which involves mediastinal and peripheral lymph nodes, lungs, liver, spleen, skin, eyes, phalangeal bones, and parotid glands. Four years ago we reviewed the involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in sarcoidosis and reported 18 patients with neurologic manifestations.¹The present communication reviews the more common involvement of skeletal muscles in sarcoidosis. While the granulomas of systemic sarcoidosis are frequently observed histologically in skeletal muscles, they are not often associated with muscle symptoms or signs such as weakness, wasting, tenderness, or myalgia.<i>Asymptomatic</i>muscle involvement in sarcoidosis has been found almost exclusively in the early stages of the disease.<i>Symptomatic</i>involvement of muscles and myopathic electromyographic abnormalities are rare and are only found in chronic sarcoidosis. Occasional patients present in any stage with acute myalgia and muscle tenderness, but such complaints most frequently accompany the acute polyarthritis of