Incidence of sarcoidosis in the Isle of Man

The incidence of sarcoidosis in a clearly defined island community has been determined in a seven year study. Special efforts were made to identify all cases, including those presenting to their general practitioners with only minor symptoms. A mean incidence of 14.7 per 100 000 per annum has been found in the years 1977-83 compared with an annual incidence of 3.5 per 100 000 in the preceding 15 years, when no specific attempts were made to identify sufferers from sarcoidosis. The lower figure is similar to the reported incidence in the United Kingdom and the difference is considered to be due to increased detection of cases during the study period. These findings suggest that a large proportion of cases of sarcoidosis in a general population may not be recorded in a registration system.