Sarcoidosis%20-%20pulmonary Treatment

• Decision to treat sarcoidosis depends on the presence of symptoms & stage of the disease

Pulmonary Disease

• Pulmonary disease is a relative indication for treatment

Stage 1

• Studies show that no treatment is necessary for patients w/ stage 1 disease

Stage 2-3

• Asymptomatic patients w/ stage 2 or 3 disease may not benefit from systemic therapy
  
  • Treatment may be required in asymptomatic patients w/ progressive loss of lung function & persistent infiltrates

Symptomatic Disease

• Treatment w/ corticosteroids provides acute relief & reversal of organ dysfunction

Absolute Indications for Treatment of Sarcoidosis Include the following:

• Cardiac involvement
• Neurosarcoidosis
• Hypercalcemia
• Ocular disease that is refractory to topical therapy

Other Extra Pulmonary Diseases

• Treatment is usually administered in progressive, symptomatic, extrapulmonary disease

Corticosteroids

Systemic Corticosteroids

• The mainstay in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis
• Recommended for patients w/ hypercalcemia, stage II/III pulmonary sarcoidosis w/ moderate-severe or progressive disease, & those w/ radiographic evidence of pulmonary changes
• Usually results in improvement of respiratory symptoms, lung function studies & CXR findings
  
  • Reappearance of symptoms & CXR abnormalities are frequent after discontinuation of treatment
• A meta-analysis concluded that corticosteroid use in pulmonary sarcoidosis results in improvement of CXR & spirometry over 6-24 months, but there is minimal proof of improvement in lung function
• • It is not clear whether these improvements are maintained beyond 2 years
  • It is not known whether corticosteroids improve long-term pulmonary function or favorably alter disease progression
• Corticosteroid use should be reserved for those w/ clear clinical indication because of its known potential toxicity & lack of evidence of sustained benefit

Follow-Up & Duration of Therapy

• Patient should be evaluated after 1-3 months of corticosteroid therapy
  
  • Patients who fail to respond after 3 months are unlikely to respond to a longer course of therapy
• Patients who respond should have their corticosteroid dosages tapered & treatment continued for a minimum of 12 months
• After a treatment period of 6-24 months, withdrawal of corticosteroids should be considered, w/ continued monitoring for relapse
  
  • Certain patients may still require long-term low-dose therapy to prevent recurrent disease

Complications of Therapy

• Patients receiving chronic corticosteroid therapy are at risk for osteoporosis
  
  • Bisphosphonates & Calcitonin may be used for prevention of osteoporosis complications

Inhaled Corticosteroids

• An alternative to oral corticosteroids
• May be used for patients w/ pulmonary symptoms especially chronic coughing, & for those whose systemic steroid medications are due for reduction/tapering
• Studies show that patients experienced symptom improvement while on inhaled Budesonide treatment

Immunosuppressants

• Eg Azathioprine, Methotrexate, Cyclophosphamide, Chlorambucil, Cyclosporine, Leflunomide
• May benefit patients who fail to respond to corticosteroids
• Usually given in combination w/ corticosteroids but may also be used as monotherapy

Azathioprine

• Second-line treatment for sarcoidosis; as a corticosteroid-sparing agent
• Preferred agent, along w/ Methotrexate, because of a more favorable safety profile
• Usual dose: 50-100 mg daily initially, then up to 3 mg/kg daily as maintenance

Chlorambucil

• Rarely used because of its increased risk of malignancy

Cyclophosphamide

• Decreases lymphocyte proliferation & function thereby decreasing the immune response
• Seldom used as 3rd-line treatment because of increased appearance of pancytopenia
• Has been effective in some patients who have failed therapy w/ corticosteroids & Methotrexate
• Significant toxicity limits its use in patients w/ severe, refractory disease

Leflunomide

• Recommended for patients w/ chronic sarcoidosis intolerant to Methotrexate therapy
• May also be used in combination w/ Methotrexate in patients w/ chronic pulmonary sarcoidosis refractory to other therapies

Methotrexate

• Recommended as 1st-line treatment when in combination w/ steroids
• Recommended 2nd-line treatment for steroid-refractory patients as a steroid-sparing agent
  
  • Used especially w/ the presence of adverse effects of corticosteroid therapy
• Usual dose: 10 mg once a week initially, then 2.5-15 mg once a week as maintenance

Immunomodulators

• 3rd-line treatment option for patients unresponsive to corticosteroids &/or immunosuppressants
• Lacks evidence for the treatment of sarcoidosis
• Adequate tests for presence of ongoing infection (eg latent tuberculosis) should be done prior to initiation of treatment

Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) Inhibitors

• Eg Infliximab, Adalimumab
• Evidence to support Adalimumab’s efficacy for pulmonary chronic sarcoidosis are limited
• Infliximab is used as an alternative pulmonary & extrapulmonary sarcoidosis therapy for patients refractory to corticosteroids
• Studies show that Infliximab is an effective TNF-alpha inhibitor not only against pulmonary, but also for other types of sarcoidosis (ie skin, kidney, muscle, bone), & for patients w/ hypercalcemia, neuropathy & disabling fatigue

Etanercept

• Further studies are needed to prove the efficacy of Etanercept therapy against sarcoidosis

Pentoxifylline

• Studies show that patients w/ acute pulmonary sarcoidosis respond well to Pentoxifylline

Thalidomide

• Studies proving the efficacy of Thalidomide for pulmonary sarcoidosis is lacking

Anti-malarial Agents

Chloroquine & Hydroxychloroquine

• Action: May inhibit macrophage production of TNF-α
• Efficacy for the treatment of chronic sarcoidosis has been established
• Effect on disease activity is more likely suppressive than curative
• Chloroquine has been shown to be particularly helpful in hypercalcemia & lupus pernio
• Hydroxychloroquine is usually preferred because of lower risk of ocular toxicity
• Usual dose:
  
  • Chloroquine: 500 mg daily initially then 250 mg daily as maintenance
  • Hydroxychloroquine: 200-400 mg daily