Sarcoidosis vs tuberculosis: Diagnostic mystery still unresolved

Sarcoidosis and tuberculosis are chronic, multisystemic, granulomatous disease of alike clinical, radiological and histopathological manifestations. Idiopathic nature of the disease and a strong clinical similarity with tuberculosis make the effectiveness of various clinical examinations for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis difficult in a tuberculosis endemic area. Presently confirmation of a diagnosis of sarcoidosis in most cases requires a biopsy which is often not confirmatory. A variety of novel medical approaches is under research to replace invasive diagnostic procedures for a simple non-invasive investigation for the identification of sarcoidosis. Here we discussed the studies focussing on the features that can be useful for distinguishing sarcoidosis from tuberculosis. Multiple studies have found molecular, cellular, immunological and clinical biomarkers efficient to lead the way of clinicians for the exact diagnosis of sarcoidosis.