A case of childhood sarcoidosis

Cutaneous sarcoidosis is rare in children. We report a case of a 5-year-old Bangladeshi girl who presented with fever, a papular eruption on the lower limbs and trunk, malaise, anorexia and weight loss. There was multisystem involvement with marked hepatosplenomegaly, generalized lymphadenopathy, parotid fullness and chronic uveitis. Pulmonary infiltrates were seen on the chest X-ray. Histology of a skin biopsy showed naked noncaseating granulomata and PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was negative. A clinical diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made. The patient was treated with oral prednisolone (2 mg/kg per day). An excellent clinical response with resolution of the rash and improvement of extracutaneous signs was noted within 3 months and she remains well on low-dose prednisolone on alternate days. We discuss the presentation and management of sarcoidosis in children, and highlight the potential difficulty in differentiating this from disseminated tuberculosis.