Current understanding of environmental exposures and sarcoidosis
Mark B Mallozzi1,2,3, Lisa A Maier1,2,3, Nancy W Lin4
1Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver.
Purpose Of Review:
Sarcoidosis is a heterogeneous disease with unknown etiology. The role of exposures in sarcoidosis is incompletely understood. Gene-environment interactions are likely an important aspect of sarcoidosis etiology and phenotypes. This review critically evaluates the current literature regarding the role of environmental factors in sarcoidosis.
Recent Findings:
Environmental factors are likely a key aspect of the pathophysiology of sarcoidosis; identifying these factors is an important and active part of sarcoidosis research, with implications for early identification and potentially prevention of disease. Bioaerosols have previously been associated with sarcoidosis risk. More recent and ongoing research suggests a possible role of inorganic exposures in both the etiology and progression of sarcoidosis. The identification of multiple exposures across different sarcoidosis manifestations suggests a possible gene-environment-phenotype relationship, which may explain some of the difficulty with identifying specific causes to date.
Summary:
Several environmental exposures are associated with a risk for sarcoidosis, but their exact role is incompletely understood. Further understanding of the environmental factors that influence sarcoidosis may provide an important opportunity for intervention.
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