[Mediastinopulmonary sarcoidosis; the indications for corticosteroid therapy]

The authors, following prolonged observation for from one to ten years, on average 5 years, of 60 cases of thoracic sarcoidosis, of lymph node or miliary type, propose a therapeutic attitude which, although not new, is frankly oriented towards therapeutic abstinence in the lymph node forms, and very restricted indications for hormone therapy in the miliary forms. In this respect, they agree with many authors, in particular English language authors, who consider that corticosteroid therapy is only justified in the acute forms, with a disturbance of general health and characteristic functional involvement. Such an attitude may appear shocking to those who tend to prescribe corticosteroids for their immediate efficacy, but in the long-term, it appears justified.