STUDIES ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SARCOIDOSIS IN THE UNITED STATES: THE RELATIONSHIP TO SOIL AREAS AND TO URBAN-RURAL RESIDENCE

Abstract

During World War II, there were 350 recognized cases of sarcoidosis among American Armed Forces personnel. These cases, chosen in a relatively unselected manner, afford an admirable opportunity for investigation into some of the aspects of the epidemiology of this disease. Preliminary studies of this group have demonstrated a striking concentration of patients' birthplaces in the Southeastern United States (1, 2). Although cases in negroes predominated, the observed geographic localization could not be accounted for solely by the distribution of the negro population in the United States. The present investigation, which was concerned with factors which might have in- fluenced this unusual case distribution, revealed an association between the distribution of the cases and certain soil areas. Furthermore, a higher incidence of the disease was found among servicemen from the more rural areas of the Southeast. These correlations may serve as ad- ditional localizing factors for further studies on the epidemiology of sarcoidosis.