Sarcoidosis: an extremely rare cause of granulomatous enterocolitis.

2012 
Clinically recognizable gastrointestinal (GI) system involvement with sarcoidosis is extremely rare. We present a case of a 51-year-old Caucasian male who was evaluated for abdominal pain, elevated liver enzymes, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, severe peripheral arthralgias, and chronic watery diarrhea. He had a history of mediastinal and periaortic lymphadenopathy. Extensive laboratory work up for liver diseases, infections, malabsorption and a bone marrow biopsy was essentially unremarkable. Esogastroduodenoscopy was unremarkable. Colonoscopy showed scattered right colon ulcerations and erythema. The terminal ileum appeared normal. Biopsies from the duodenum, terminal ileum, and colon showed intramucosal non-caseating granulomas with focal multinucleate giant cell formation in a background of chronic active duodenitis, ileitis, and colitis. Liver biopsy showed moderate nonspecific chronic hepatitis with non-caseating granulomas present within portal and lobular parenchyma. The clinical presentations, along with biopsy results were suggestive of sarcoidosis. The patient was started on prednisone and had a significant improvement in his symptoms including diarrhea.
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