| Presentation preference | Oral presentation |
| Title | World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders (WASOG) Sarcoidosis Organ Assessment Instrument Use in the Analysis of a Retrospective Sarcoidosis Cohort |
| Purpose | To evaluate the utility of applying the WASOG Sarcoidosis organ assessment instrument (2014) to analyze the clinical data of sarcoidosis patients in West Virginia, a rural state and compare the findings with the published results of ACCESS: A Case Control Etiologic Study of Sarcoidosis (2001). |
| Methods | Retrospective cohort analysis.
Background: Sarcoidosis is a rare and complex autoimmune disease with a heterogeneous clinical presentation, with multiple systemic manifestations, and a significant potential for morbidity and mortality. The underlying etiology for this disease is mostly unknown, but environmental and genetic factors have been postulated. Previous publications have suggested that a rural background was quite common in this disease.
The most robust method for obtaining data would be a case control etiologic study. However, study duration and potentially excessive costs limit the utility of this approach. We propose a combined approach, using a retrospective analysis and a standardized assessment tool to establish criteria for organ involvement. |
| Results | We performed a structured EHR query under an approved IRB protocol. The system included WVU hospitals state-wide. The patients were > 60%: middle-aged, 45-65 years old, White and females. Detailed organ assessment is ongoing using the WASOG instrument. |
| Conclusion | Ocular involvement in sarcoidosis represents one of the leading causes of low visual acuity, and sometimes blindness in affected patients, so an additional tool to assist with early diagnosis may be beneficial to ocular immunologists, seeking systemic therapeutic modalities. The results will be instructive in developing a public health surveillance protocol for sarcoidosis in a rural state where access to specialists may be limited. |
| Conflict of interest | No |
Authors 1
| Last name | LEVY-CLARKE |
| Initials of first name(s) | G |
| Department | West Virginia University Eye Institute |
| Country | United States |
Authors 2
| Last name | SADAT |
| Initials of first name(s) | O |
| Country | United States |
Authors 3
| Last name | PINION |
| Initials of first name(s) | C |
| Country | United States |
