First insights and future research perspectives from the sarcoidosis registry at the Medical University of Vienna

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease that may differ in clinical presentation, organ involvement and severity among different populations. The primary objective was to evaluate demographic characteristics, disease stage, diagnostic work-up and treatment of patients with sarcoidosis. The sarcoidosis registry was founded in 2022 at the Medical University of Vienna and is intended to record patients from all over Austria who were diagnosed with sarcoidosis. All relevant information was collected at the time of the initial presentation and then on an ongoing basis every 6 months thereafter. Data was available for 199 sarcoidosis patients who were treated at the Medical University of Vienna between 2022 and 2023. The mean age of all patients was 52 ± 13 years. At 57.5%, women were significantly more represented than men were. Of these patients, 44.5% were smokers, and significantly more of them were men (63.8%). Chest X-ray revealed sarcoidosis in lung stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 in 34. 5%, 46%, 9.5% and 6% respectively. Overall, 37.5% (male: 33 (38.8%)) of all patients received oral corticosteroid therapy (OCS) during their illness, the mean duration of treatment with OCS (years, median, IQR) was 5 (3; 7.5). Most patients who received OCS for their disease were in pulmonary stage 4 with 81.8%. Patients were on average overweight with a mean BMI of 28.3 kg/m2 (± 6.5). This study is the first characterization of sarcoidosis patients in Austria.