Disfiguring cutaneous manifestation of sarcoidosis treated with thalidomide: a case report

A patient with sarcoidosis was treated with thalidomide for disfiguring and painful steroid unresponsive sarcoidal granulomas of the skin. The duration of the therapy was 14 months, during which time, the skin lesions resolved almost completely. The initial dosage was 200 mg a day, which was increased to 400 mg a day after 4 months. Episodic paresthesia of the finger tips and one lower extremity was the only side effect noted, which resolved promptly after discontinuation of the drug. The dramatic response of sarcoidal granulomas of the skin to thalidomide observed in this patient demonstrates the usefulness of this drug as a possible long-term monotherapeutic or steroid-sparing agent in the treatment of sarcoidosis.