Sarcoidosis following specific immunotherapy: more than just coincidence?

Although not yet clear, the etiology of sarcoidosis may be linked to seasonal, environmental and genetic factors; mycobacterial or other infections. To the best of our knowledge there is no data suggesting any connection between the onset of sarcoidosis and specific allergen immunotherapy in the medical literature. During the 11-year period between 1993 and 2005, a total of 91 sarcoidosis cases have been diagnosed at our institution. Out of these, here we present 3 cases of de novo sarcoidosis occurring after receiving specific immunotherapy (SIT) at the same institution (two of which had acquired the disease in Sweden where they had resided for a short time). We suggest that sarcoidosis may occur in patients following (SIT) probably via an abnormal immunological host response to an unknown antigenic trigger.