Case Report
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 7, 2006; 12(1): 150-153
Published online Jan 7, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i1.150
Spontaneous resolution of systemic sarcoidosis in a patient with chronic hepatitis C without interferon therapy
Tae-Hun Kim, Jong-Eun Joo
Tae-Hun Kim, Departments of Internal Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Jong-Eun Joo, Department of Pathology, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Correspondence to: Tae-Hun Kim, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University Hospital, 911-1 Mok-Dong, Yangchun-Gu, Seoul 158-710, Mokdong South Korea. thkm@ewha.ac.kr
Telephone: +82-2-2650-2724 Fax: +82-2-2655-2076
Received: May 9, 2005
Revised: May 28, 2005
Accepted: June 2, 2005
Published online: January 7, 2006
Abstract

A 39-year-old male patient complaining of bilateral hand joint arthralgia was evaluated and found to have chronic hepatitis C and systemic sarcoidosis involving lung, skin, liver, and spleen. Hepatic and cutaneous sarcoidoses were confirmed by the presence of numerous noncaseating granulomas on histological examination. Pulmonary and splenic involvements were diagnosed by imaging studies. Fifteen months later, the sarcoidotic lesions in lung, liver, and spleen were resolved by radiological studies and a liver biopsy showed no granuloma but moderate to severe inflammatory activity. systemic sarcoidosis is a rare comorbidity of chronic hepatitis C which may spontaneously resolve.

Keywords: Sarcoidosis; Hepatitis C; Spontaneous resolution