Coincidence of sarcoidosis and amyloidosis

Amyloidosis was diagnosed in a 58-yr-old woman with sarcoidosis. There was no evidence of any other disease known to be associated with amyloidosis. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis was based on the finding of noncaseating granulomatous lesions in the liver and in a lymph node, a strongly positive Kveim test, hyperglobulinemia, and impairment of cell-mediated immunity. Amyloidosis was diagnosed by the finding of typical amyloid deposits in both lymph node and rectal biopsies. The albuminuria was consistent with renal amyloidosis which, however, was not documented. The joint occurrence of amyloidosis and sarcoidosis appears to be extremely rare, and as far as known, this is the second such patient to be reported. Whether the association of the 2 diseases has a causal relation remains an open question.