Analysis of Age Distribution and Disease Presentation of 1269 Patients with Sarcoidosis.

objectiveWhile the incidence of sarcoidosis peaks between 20 and 39 years, it is comparatively low in elderly subjects. We sought to determine whether there are age-dependent differences in the demographic and laboratory characteristics of patients with sarcoidosis. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe retrospectively collected information from our database using the International Classification of Disease (ICD) diagnostic code D86 between 2008 and 2014. Patients were divided into three groups: 20-39 years old (Group 1), 40-59 years old (Group 2), and 60-80 years old (Group 3).

resultsA total of 3988 patients with code of D86 were included in the study. After the exclusion of non-eligible patients, the number of cases in Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 276, 641, and 352, respectively. The groups were compared according to demographic characteristics, ICD diagnostic codes, and laboratory parameters. The ratio of female patients was significantly higher in Group 3 than in Groups 1 and 2 (p=0.000). There was no difference in diagnostic codes of the ICD subgroups between groups (p=0.19). While the level of blood-urea nitrogen was significantly higher in Group 3 patients than in other groups (p=0.000), serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) values were found to be significantly low in Group 3 (p=0.010). The mean ACE values did not differ between females and males (50.8±39.3 and 59.1±45.5 mg/dL, respectively) (p=0.18).

conclusionThe majority of patients with sarcoidosis were female in all age groups and pulmonary sarcoidosis was the most common presentation of the disease. Elderly patients (≥60 years) with sarcoidosis had lower serum ACE levels than younger patients.