Macrophage reactivity in skin window of sarcoidosis patients.

We investigated 582 cases of sarcoidosis by the skin-window (Rebuck) method. The number of macrophages appearing in skin windows was significantly increased in 432 patients with sarcoidosis in the active phase. Further, increased numbers of macrophages in the windows were found in patients with a positive Kveim-Siltzbach test, high immunoglobulin levels, increased B lymphocytes, and decreased T lymphocytes. Passive transfer of delayed-type hypersensitivity was weaker and shorter in sarcoidosis patients with increased presence of macrophages than in healthy controls. A close correlation between high macrophage reactivity and the other sepcific immunological factors in sarcoidosis is suggested.