THE LESIONS OF SARCOIDOSIS

Specificn be found in more than a third of patients with systemic sarcoidosis. These lesions represent dermal sarcoid granulomas and are capable of wide variation in clinical appearance, even though the microscopic picture is constant. Examination with eye and hand (for the infiltrate is often more easily palpated than seen) must be followed with microscopic verification. Jonathan Hutchinson described cutaneous sarcoid almost 70 years ago under the title of "Mortimer's malady." Hutchinson was not aware that these lesions on the skin reflected a systemic problem. Accurate diagnosis of sarcoidosis can be facilitated by the examination of material easily obtained from cutaneous lesions. Every patient with suspected sarcoidosis should be carefully examined for possible diagnostic dermal granulomas.