[Variations in plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme and renin in sarcoidosis]

A comparative study of plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme and renin activity was carried out in 55 patients with sarcoidosis and other pulmonary diseases. The converting enzyme activity was significantly increased in active sarcoidosis, showing a tendency to return to normal values after corticoid treatment, while plasma renin activity remained unaltered both before and after corticotherapy. The obtained results confirm the usefulness of the converting enzyme measurements, as already shown by others. Attention is drawn on the possible involvement of the pulmonary renin-angiotensin system in the local vascular and enzymo-chemical alterations, suggesting the possibility of associating the converting enzyme inhibitors to the corticotherapy of sarcoidosis.