Radiographic Staging and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cell Counts in Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that mainly affects the lungs and lymph nodes. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is known to be useful in diagnosis of the disease but its value as a prognostic marker is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess whether there is a characteristic pattern in BAL cell counts according to radiographic stage and determine whether BAL offers information on disease course.The study included 34 patients with untreated sarcoidosis. Data were collected on the following variables: age, sex, smoking habit, treatment type, radiographic stage, respiratory function, serological parameters, and BAL cell counts. The patients were classified into 3 groups according to functional and radiographic change at 12-month follow-up.No differences in age, sex, or smoking habit were found according to either radiographic stage or disease course. Although the proportion of lymphocytes in BAL fluid was higher in radiographic stage I than in stages II and III, the differences were not statistically significant. The differences in BAL cell counts between groups based on disease course were not statistically significant.No differences were found in the characteristics of BAL fluid according to radiographic stage. The differential cell count in BAL fluid does not appear to predict the course of sarcoidosis in the first 12 months.