Walsh & Hoyt: Sarcoidosis: Joint Manifestations

Two forms of joint manifestations occur in patients with sarcoidosis. Patients with erythema nodosum, as noted above, typically experience severe and often incapacitating acute arthritis that regresses over a period of weeks or months, either spontaneously or concomitantly with therapy. In addition, however, some patients with sarcoidosis develop chronic polyarthralgias. These arthralgias are accompanied by synovial thickening, primarily affecting the hands and feet, and may be associated with transient effusions, particularly whenthe knees are affected. They most oftenoccur in patients with chronic skin and bone lesions. Biopsy of affected joints in such patients typically reveals granulomas of the synovial tissue.