Clinical Features:

• Systemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, affecting multiple organ systems
• Most common in black women
• Approximately 25% of patients have cutaneous involvement, most commonly presenting as violaceous nodules, particularly on the face.

Histologic Features:

• Normally, non-necrotizing granulomas are distributed throughout the dermis.
• The granulomas are often surrounded by a lymphocytic infiltrate.
• If the subcutis is involved, caseation may sometimes be seen.
• Asteroid bodies, Shaumann bodies and Hamazaki-Wasserman bodies may be seen, but are nonspecific.

External Links:

• Dermnet NZ
• Wikipedia

Cases associated with this book:

Sarcoidosis
Author: Artur Zembowicz M.D. Ph.D.

Conference: DermatopathologyConsultations.com Teaching Collection