Non-Articular Osseous Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case of Active Sarcoidosis with Progressive Lung Lesions and Normal Inflammation Biomarkers

Sarcoidosis is a rare multisystem inflammatory disease characterized by non-necrotizing granulomas, typically affecting the lungs, lymph nodes, skin, and bones. Due to its extreme clinical heterogeneity, diagnosis remains challenging. Within the skeletal system, the thoracic spine, ankles, and knees...

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Main Authors: Jing Zhang, Yu Hu, Peixin Dong, Hefang Guo, Lixia Huang, Lili Chen, Yanbin Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Diagnostics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1135
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author Jing Zhang
Yu Hu
Peixin Dong
Hefang Guo
Lixia Huang
Lili Chen
Yanbin Zhou
author_facet Jing Zhang
Yu Hu
Peixin Dong
Hefang Guo
Lixia Huang
Lili Chen
Yanbin Zhou
author_sort Jing Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Sarcoidosis is a rare multisystem inflammatory disease characterized by non-necrotizing granulomas, typically affecting the lungs, lymph nodes, skin, and bones. Due to its extreme clinical heterogeneity, diagnosis remains challenging. Within the skeletal system, the thoracic spine, ankles, and knees are the most commonly involved joints. We report a rare case of non-articular osseous sarcoidosis with progressive pulmonary lesions and persistently normal inflammatory biomarkers (ACE, CRP, ESR, IL-2, and TNF-α) that required differentiation from metastatic bone tumors and tuberculosis. Prior to presentation at our hospital, the patient did not respond to six months of anti-tuberculosis treatment and one month of systemic glucocorticoid therapy in three other hospitals. Based on lung and bone biopsies, she was finally diagnosed as having active sarcoidosis in our hospital. Despite 3 months of prednisone, pulmonary consolidation and bone lesions persisted until methotrexate was added. This case highlights the preference of combined glucocorticoid and methotrexate therapy for sarcoidosis with atypical osseous involvement and normal biomarkers, underscoring the urgent need for novel diagnostic tools to mitigate misdiagnosis.
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institution DOAJ
issn 2075-4418
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Diagnostics
spelling doaj-art-00c9d047b9d444a7b230ee5d17f2ec4d2025-08-20T02:59:14ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182025-04-01159113510.3390/diagnostics15091135Non-Articular Osseous Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case of Active Sarcoidosis with Progressive Lung Lesions and Normal Inflammation BiomarkersJing Zhang0Yu Hu1Peixin Dong2Hefang Guo3Lixia Huang4Lili Chen5Yanbin Zhou6Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, ChinaDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, ChinaDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, ChinaDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Hexian Memorial Hospital of PanYu District, Guangzhou 511400, ChinaDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, ChinaDepartment of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, ChinaDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, ChinaSarcoidosis is a rare multisystem inflammatory disease characterized by non-necrotizing granulomas, typically affecting the lungs, lymph nodes, skin, and bones. Due to its extreme clinical heterogeneity, diagnosis remains challenging. Within the skeletal system, the thoracic spine, ankles, and knees are the most commonly involved joints. We report a rare case of non-articular osseous sarcoidosis with progressive pulmonary lesions and persistently normal inflammatory biomarkers (ACE, CRP, ESR, IL-2, and TNF-α) that required differentiation from metastatic bone tumors and tuberculosis. Prior to presentation at our hospital, the patient did not respond to six months of anti-tuberculosis treatment and one month of systemic glucocorticoid therapy in three other hospitals. Based on lung and bone biopsies, she was finally diagnosed as having active sarcoidosis in our hospital. Despite 3 months of prednisone, pulmonary consolidation and bone lesions persisted until methotrexate was added. This case highlights the preference of combined glucocorticoid and methotrexate therapy for sarcoidosis with atypical osseous involvement and normal biomarkers, underscoring the urgent need for novel diagnostic tools to mitigate misdiagnosis.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1135sarcoidosisangiotensin-converting enzymeCRPosseoustuberculosis
spellingShingle Jing Zhang
Yu Hu
Peixin Dong
Hefang Guo
Lixia Huang
Lili Chen
Yanbin Zhou
Non-Articular Osseous Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case of Active Sarcoidosis with Progressive Lung Lesions and Normal Inflammation Biomarkers
Diagnostics
sarcoidosis
angiotensin-converting enzyme
CRP
osseous
tuberculosis
title Non-Articular Osseous Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case of Active Sarcoidosis with Progressive Lung Lesions and Normal Inflammation Biomarkers
title_full Non-Articular Osseous Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case of Active Sarcoidosis with Progressive Lung Lesions and Normal Inflammation Biomarkers
title_fullStr Non-Articular Osseous Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case of Active Sarcoidosis with Progressive Lung Lesions and Normal Inflammation Biomarkers
title_full_unstemmed Non-Articular Osseous Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case of Active Sarcoidosis with Progressive Lung Lesions and Normal Inflammation Biomarkers
title_short Non-Articular Osseous Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case of Active Sarcoidosis with Progressive Lung Lesions and Normal Inflammation Biomarkers
title_sort non articular osseous sarcoidosis a rare case of active sarcoidosis with progressive lung lesions and normal inflammation biomarkers
topic sarcoidosis
angiotensin-converting enzyme
CRP
osseous
tuberculosis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1135
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