Occupational exposure and sarcoidosis: a case-control study in three countries.

Background: Preceding studies of environmental and occupational risk factors of sarcoidosis yielded inconsistent findings.

Aims: We aimed to ascertain the occupational risk factors for sarcoidosis in a case-control study.

Methods: A total of 237 sarcoidosis patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis were matched with 474 controls for sex and age (median 49, interquartile range 37; 60 years) recruited from the university hospitals and outpatient centres in Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.