Evaluation of possible risk factor of pulmonary embolism in sarcoidosis patients

Background: Some studies reported a correlation between sarcoidosis and an increased risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) 1,2. Objectives: To assess possible risk factors of PE in sarcoidosis patients. Methods: We enrolled 260 sarcoidosis patients (170 females and 90 males; mean age at diagnosis 46 ± 9), after giving written informed consent. We perform clinical evaluations, laboratory tests and radiology features. Results: Our study population included 20 sarcoidosis patients with PE (14 females and 6 males; mean age at diagnosis 45 ± 10), diagnosed by lung scintigraphy and 240 sarcoidosis patients without PE (170 females and 70 males; mean age at diagnosis 46 ± 11). There was a significant increase of the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in the sarcoidosis group with pulmonary embolism (55%) than in group without PE (9%) (p-value<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups on smoking habit, obesity, treatments and hereditary thrombophilia frequency (p > 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: This study demonstrated an increased of antiphospholipid antibodies positivity in sarcoidosis patients with pulmonary embolism. Furthermore, we propose screening for these antibodies in all sarcoidosis patients.