[Changes in interleukin-2 receptor levels in active and inactive pulmonary sarcoidosis]

Current concepts of the immunopathology of sarcoidosis claim a central role for activated pulmonary T-lymphocytes in the maintenance of inflammatory processes. We hypothesized that the pulmonary sarcoidosis disease activity could be monitored by the measurement of serum levels of sIL-2R. We evaluated the sIL-2R in 28 sarcoidosis patients at multiple time points before, during and after therapy and compared the results with the clinical activity of the disease. Before therapy out of 24 episodes with active disease 20 exhibited elevated levels of sIL-2R. Six out of 21 episodes with inactive disease after tappering off corticoid therapy had sIL-2R levels above the upper limit of the normal range. Disease activity under therapy as well segregated with the sIL-2R serum level. Our results demonstrate that the activity of pulmonary sarcoidosis is reflected accurately by the serum level of sIL-2R suggesting that phenomenons of T-cell activation determining the course of the disease are monitored by this approach.