1 University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6400 West Cullen Street Houston, Texas 77025
The article by Kendig1 reviewing 33 patients assumed to illustrate the clinical picture of sarcoidosis deserves comment. Kendig lumps together a group of children under the diagnosis of sarcoidosis made on the basis of conventional, clinical, roentgenographic, and peripheral biopsy data compatable with this diagnosis. Sarcoidosis is difficult to define and protean in its manifestations and simulates many disease entities such as tuberculosis, fungal infection, leprosy, syphilis, berylliosis, silicosis, tumor, and foreign bodies.
Kent et al.2 reported 27 to 33 patients (82%) with clinical, roentgenographics, and histologic manifestations of sarcoidosis on biopsy of peripheral tissues who were found to be misdiagnosed when studied further.