Antifungal treatment in sarcoidosis--a pilot intervention trial.

Background: Sarcoidosis is generally treated with corticosteroids that are not always an effective therapy.

Objectives: To assess if treatment with antifungal drugs would improve the clinical status of patients with sarcoidosis.

Methods: Patients (n=18) with sarcoidosis grades II and III according to established criteria and without clinical and immunological signs of fungal infection, were treated with antifungal medication together with corticosteroids for 3-6 months. Pulmonary X-ray infiltration, lung function, and severity of symptoms were registered before and after the treatment and at follow up 9-58 months later.

Results: The treatment resulted in statistically significant decreases in the degree of pulmonary infiltration with an average decrease in the group from 2.0 to 1.0. There were also significant increases in diffusion capacity and decreases in the severity of symptoms.

Conclusion: It is suggested that treatment with antifungal drugs may be useful, at least in certain cases of sarcoidosis.