[Osteo-articular manifestations of sarcoidosis].

OBJECTIVE: Osteo-articular sarcoidosis may be evoked in the presence of peripheral articular manifestations or bone lesions that are sometimes asymptomatic. The aim of this work is to describe clinical and progressive features of sarcoidosis with osteo-articular involvement.

METHODS: Our retrospective study concerned 18 patients presenting with osteo-articular sarcoidosis from 1985 to 1999. We included patients with clinical diagnosis suggestive of sarcoidosis and with at least one positive biopsy.

RESULTS: Among 35 cases of sarcoidosis, 18 patients had an osteo-articular manifestation (51.42%), which revealed the disease in 2 patients. The female sex was predominant (sex ratio M/F of 0.12), the mean age was 47 years and the time before diagnosis was 3.6 years. Articular involvement was the most frequent. Inflammatory joint pains were present in 11 cases, a Lofgren syndrome in 2 cases, a chronic arthritis in 4 cases and acute monoarthritis of the elbow in 1 case. A female patient exhibited a probable association with a spondylarthropathy. The bone involvement, revealing the disease in 1 case, was also noted in 5 cases, located exclusively on hands; this sarcoidosal dactyly was represented in 2 cases in the form of phalangeal geodes, in wired form (2 cases) and in large bulla form (1 case). The bone biopsy when it was performed was positive in all 3 cases. The patients responded well to corticosteroids.

CONCLUSION: The osteo-articular involvement of sarcoidosis is polymorphic and can reveal the disease or may appear during the course of its progression.