In a large university outpatient sarcoidosis cohort, cough was worse in blacks than whites. Cough was not statistically significantly different in terms of age, spirometric measures, Scadding stage, or smoking status. The LCQ correlated strongly with a visual analog scale for cough.

Background: Although it is the general consensus that sarcoidosis patients who present with sarcoidosis-related symptoms have a worse outcome than patients whose disease is detected incidentally without symptoms, this premise has not been rigorously examined. Methods: Consecutive patients followed longitudinally at one US university sarcoidosis clinic were questioned concerning the onset and description of sarcoidosisrelated symptoms at disease presentation. The patients were classified into those with no sarcoidosis-related symptoms at presentation (NSP group) and those with symptoms at presentation (SP group). The following outcomes were examined in the NSP and SP groups: most recent spirometry, organ involvement, need for sarcoidosis therapy, most recent health related quality of life (HRQOL) as measured by the Sarcoidosis Assessment Tool (SAT), most recent chest imaging Scadding stage results. Results: 660 sarcoidosis patients were analyzed, with 175 in the NSP group and 485 in the SP group. Compared to the NSP group, the SP group had a more frequent requirement for any sarcoidosis treatment, corticosteroid treatment, and non-corticosteroid treatment at some time and within the most recent year of follow up (at least 50% more than the NP group with strong statistical differences with p values all 0.01 or less). In addition, the SP group had significantly more organ involvement (p < 0.001) and several worse SAT domains (p < 0.022) than the NP group. There were no differences between the groups in terms of final spirometry or development of Scadding stage 4 chest radiographs. These findings held even after adjusting for age, sex, race, and time between presentation and the most recent follow-up visit using a multivariable logistic regression framework. Conclusions: In our sarcoidosis cohort, compared to the absence of symptoms at presentation, the presence of symptoms was associated with a greater need for treatment, more organ involvement, and worse HRQOL.

We report a very rare case of Sevoflurane Induced Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in a previously healthy young adult in the post-operative period following general anesthesia. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) associated with inhalation injury from halogenated gases is a unique entity in the literature that practicing clinicians should be cognizant of and considered in post-operative cases of acute respiratory distress whereby other etiologies have been excluded.

The chylothorax is a lymphocyte predominant protein-discordant exudative pleural effusions with low lactate dehydrogenase and elevated triglyceride levels. Transudative chylothoraces associated with Superior Cava syndrome (SVC) are an extremely rare clinical entity. In this manuscript, we describe a case of transudative chylothorax due to SVC obstruction secondary to thrombosis of a peripheral inserted central venous catheter, which ultimately resolved after endovascular intervention. In our review of the literature, only five cases of transudative chylothorax associated with SVC syndrome were identified with 60% of cases associated with thrombosis and complications due to catheters in the central venous circulation. Treatment of the underlying cause is key to resolution of the chylothorax. Thoracentesis is an initial intervention for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Endovascular intervention is the primary mode of treatment for SVC thrombosis and stenting is preferred for malignant causes, however anticoagulation alone has been reported in the resolution of chylothorax. In patients with recurrent chylothorax despite of relief of SVC obstruction, a medium-chain triglyceride diet and octreotide can be prescribed in order to decrease the chyle flow in the thoracic duct. Surgical ligation of the thoracic duct can be considered if medical management and endovascular treatment fails.

Although SAA staining of various granulomatous tissues was fairly specific for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, the specificity was inadequate for SAA staining to be used as a diagnostic test for sarcoidosis in isolation. These data suggest that SAA production may not be a universal mechanism in the development of sarcoidosis.