Sarcoidosis developing in an elderly adult with bone marrow granuloma and thrombocytopenia
Takashi Ishiguroa Noboru Takayanagia Hideaki Yamakawaa Toshiko Hoshib Yoshihiko Shimizuc Tsutomu Yanagisawaa Yutaka Sugitaa
aDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center
bDepartment of Radiology, Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center
cDepartment of Pathological Diagnosis, Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center
An 82-year-old man developed appetite loss, weight loss, and low-grade fever from the end of May 2012. Chest computed tomography showed ground-glass opacities in bilateral lower lobes. Neither hilar nor mediastinal lymphadenopathy were found. Hypoxemia and thrombocytopenia were present, and bone marrow aspiration revealed epithelial cell granulomas. 67Gallium scintigraphy showed uptake in the middle and lower lung fields. Lymphocytes were predominant in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and the CD4/8 ratio was 4.2. A culture of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was negative. Transbronchial lung biopsy showed epithelial cell granulomas negative for Grocott stain and acid-fast organisms. Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme value was elevated to 38.6 U/L. Ocular findings showed uveitis, which was consistent with ocular sarcoidosis. We diagnosed the patient as having sarcoidosis, and epithelial cell granulomas found in bone marrow were regarded as bone marrow invasion. Administration of prednisolone, 20 mg daily, improved subjective symptoms, body temperature, and thrombocytopenia. Partial maximum-intensity projection images constructed after findings of epithelioid cell granulomas via transbronchial lung biopsy revealed multiple miliary shadows distributed throughout the lung fields.
Sarcoidosis Lesion in lower lung fields Ground-glass opacity Thrombocytopenia Bone marrow
Received 21 Dec 2012 / Accepted 14 Aug 2013
AJRS, 2(6): 737-741, 2013