Long-term follow-up in sarcoidosis in Japan

The clinical course of 775 sarcoidosis cases in Japan collected by the Japan Sarcoidosis Committee was followed up in the 6th month, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th-6th, 7th-9th and 10th year and over after the first discovery. The means follow-up period was 5.5 years. The accumulated rates of disappearance of BHL, lung, eye, and whole sarcoidosis lesions calculated by life-table method were 63%, 56%, 59% and 48% respectively at the 1st year, 75% 67%, 71% and 59% respectively at the 2nd year, 79%, 71%, 76% and 64% respectively at the 3rd year, 82%, 74%, 81% and 67% respectively at the 4th-6th year. Judging from the accumulated rates mentioned above, the speakers defined the course of the disease as "good" when the whole sarcoidosis lesions cleared within 2 years. It was revealed that out of 25 factors examined, factors such as "age under 29", "no eye lesions" and "without complaints" at the time of first discovery, were significantly useful for pre-dieting the "good" results. The disappearance of BHL within 6 months was one of the most important indices predicting the "good" outcome of sarcoidosis.