Haematological abnormalities in patients of sarcoidosis.

OBJECTIVE

To study the presence and pattern of haematological abnormalities in patients with sarcoidosis in India.

METHODS

Haematological investigations including complete blood cell counts, ESR and peripheral smear examination were carried out in 30 consecutive freshly diagnosed cases of sarcoidosis and compared with equal number of age and sex matched healthy controls. Coagulation parameters such as prothrombin time (PT), prothrombin index (PTI), partial thromboplastin time (PTTK) and fibrinogen levels were also studied.

RESULTS

There were 15 men (mean age 40.4 +/- 10.15 years) and equal number of women (mean age 38.6 +/- 12.14 years) in the study group. Haematological abnormalities were present in 11 (36.66%) of the patients. Four cases (13.33%, all females) were found to have anaemia and in three of them no other cause for this was evident. Lymphopenia (lymphocyte count <1500/cu mm) was present in eight (26.66%) patients and three (10%) controls (P<0.05). Only one patient (3.3%) had leucopenia. Number of subjects with raised ESR and the mean ESR was higher in the study group as compared to the controls. No coagulation abnormalities were encountered.

CONCLUSIONS

Different haematological manifestations in total are common in Indian patients, leucopenia is relatively rare while anaemia, lymphopenia and raised ESR are common