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Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):102. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Community Medicine, Dr. DY Patil University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):98-101. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia.

Intrapulmonary solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are sporadic mesenchymal neoplasms that typically arise from visceral or parietal pleura. While accounting for <5% of all pleural tumors, SFTs are known to occur in nearly all bodily organs, including nasopharynx, bladder, prostate, soft tissue of neck, buttocks, extremities, and abdominal wall. Such tumors have been previously designated localized fibrous mesothelioma or pleural fibroma. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):95-97. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Oita, Japan.

We herein report a case of recurrent mediastinal cyst infection followed by bacteremia after endobronchial ultrasound-guide transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). A 65-year-old Japanese male with sarcoidosis presented with 4 L progressive lymph node adenopathy and was diagnosed with mediastinal cyst by EBUS-TBNA. After bronchoscopy, he suffered from a high fever. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):90-94. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Background: Thymomas are not so common tumors that are encountered in day-to-day pathology reporting. The WHO system was proposed in 2015. Although, through its detailed reporting, the WHO elaborates all subtypes and morphological clinches to diagnosis, it was important to ascertain its reproducibility in our day-to-day reporting. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):84-89. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Sociobehavioral Administrative Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, College of Pharmacy 3200 S. University Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA.

Background: Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) were developed as alternatives to warfarin. However, the patients' preference regarding warfarin or the NOACs has not been established. Quality-of-life (QOL) surveys are a well-established method for determining the patients' preference for a treatment route. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):76-83. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.

Objective: Analysis of the occurrence factors and disease characteristics of tuberculous (TB) pleural effusion (TPE) dominated by neutrophils.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 304 patients with two types of TB pleurisy. The clinical, laboratory, and pathological features of TB pleurisy separately dominated by lymphocytes and neutrophils were analyzed. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):70-75. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Somnogen Canada Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada.

Objective: Currently accepted guidelines categorize obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity according to the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). However, it is unclear how to best define OSA severity. The present study sought to evaluate the concurrent validity of the widely accepted AHI by correlating it with various oxygen saturation (SpO) and polysomnographic parameters. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):64-69. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, UTHSC, Houston, Texas, USA.

Introduction: Right ventricular strain (RVS) in pulmonary embolism (PE) can be used to stratify risk and direct intervention. The clinical significance of computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA)-derived radiologic signs of RVS, however, remains incompletely characterized. We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of persons with acute PE to determine which, if any, findings of RVS on CTPA correlate with clinical outcomes. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):54-63. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Centre for Translational Inflammation Research, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is common and debilitating. Most patients with COPD experience intermittent, acute deterioration in symptoms which require additional therapy, termed exacerbations. Exacerbations are prevalent in COPD and are associated with poor clinical outcomes including death, a faster decline in lung health, and a reduced quality of life. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):52-53. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):49-51. Epub 2020 Mar 20.

College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Since the report of the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China in late December 2019, there have been 204 610 cases worldwide as of 18 March, 2020. As part of the response to this outbreak, there has been an impressive amount of research undertaken to better characterize the disease and to evaluate therapeutic options. By March 12, 2020, there are more than 382 studies registered in the clinical trials databases addressing COVID-19 including more than 80 randomized controlled trials. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Apr-Jun;15(2):47-48. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):45. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Paediatrics, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq. E-mail:

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):44. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Papageorgiou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):41-43. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1)-associated bronchioloalveolar disorders (HABAs) are pulmonary disorders with various interstitial lung disease patterns that often occur in HTLV-1 carriers. Among HABAs, organizing pneumonia (OP) is extremely rare. We present a case of an 82-year-old woman with OP as a HABA. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):38-40. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Surgery, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT) is rare. NSGCT shows excellent response to cisplatin-based chemotherapy. However, some tumors continue to enlarge despite normal tumor markers after chemotherapy, a rare condition called growing teratoma syndrome (GTS). Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):33-37. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Background: The prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) has been found to be high among students undergoing clinical training. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of LTBI among undergraduate health science students after their clinical training and to compare the risk between different college specialties.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of students who completed their clinical training from 2010 to 2017. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):26-32. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Chest Diseases, Burdur State Hospital, Burdur, Turkey.

Background: Bronchiectasis is common in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and adversely affects the patients' clinical condition. This study aimed to investigate the effects of bronchiectasis on exercise capacity, dyspnea perception, disease-specific quality of life, and psychological status in patients with COPD and determine the extent of these adverse effects by the severity of bronchiectasis.

Methods: A total of 387 COPD patients (245 patients with only COPD [Group 1] and 142 COPD patients with accompanying bronchiectasis [Group 2]) were included in the study. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):21-25. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Congenital lobar emphysema (CLE) is a rare developmental malformation of the lung but can be associated with high morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to review our experience with 45 patients with CLE highlighting clinical features, aspects of diagnosis, and management.

Methods: The medical records of all patients diagnosed with CLE in our center were reviewed. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):15-20. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Toho University Ohashi Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Organizing pneumonia (OP) usually responds spectacularly well to initial treatment, but relapses can occur and some cases run a fatal course. Still, the issue of relapse has been addressed in relatively few studies, and predictors have not been clarified. The purpose of this study was to examine the pattern of relapses in OP, to determine whether relapse affects morbidity and mortality, and to identify possible predictors of relapse. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):9-14. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Medicine, The University Sleep Disorders Center, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: This cross-sectional case-control study aimed to assess the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and its correlates and severity among Arab (Saudi) pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics.

Methods: We interviewed 742 consecutive pregnant women attending antenatal clinics face-to-face using the International RLS Study Group (IRLSSG) criteria. We assessed the severity of RLS using the IRLSSG severity scale for RLS (IRLS). Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2020 Jan-Mar;15(1):1-8. Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Department of Medicine, The University Sleep Disorders Center, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Patient-ventilator asynchrony (PVA) is common in patients receiving noninvasive ventilation (NIV). This occurs primarily when the triggering and cycling-off of ventilatory assistance are not synchronized with the patient's inspiratory efforts and could result in increased work of breathing and niv failure. In general, five types of asynchrony can occur during NIV: ineffective inspiratory efforts, double-triggering, auto-triggering, short-ventilatory cycling, and long-ventilatory cycling. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):285-287

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.

Cavitary lung lesions are common in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infections. Both atypical infections and thoracic malignancies can manifest as a cavitary pulmonary lesion. Standard bronchoscopy is commonly used to evaluate these abnormalities but is limited in its ability to fully assess for cancer and infection. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):278-284

Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Bronchial asthma (BA) is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases in Saudi Arabia (SA). Most of the studies investigating the prevalence of BA in SA have focused on children and its exact prevalence in adults is unknown.

Objectives: The objective of this study is tto investigate the prevalence and factors associated with adult BA in Aseer region, southwestern SA. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):269-277

Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Children's National Health Systems, Washington, DC, USA.

Background: Pulmonary complications of sickle cell disease (SCD) contribute to excess morbidity and mortality. The burden of pulmonary dysfunction among Nigerians with SCD has not been well elucidated.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to describe the frequency and pattern of spirometry abnormalities in SCD and to explore the association between pulmonary dysfunction and selected parameters. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):264-268

King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Introduction: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most serious hospital-acquired infections to occur among mechanically ventilated patients. Many risk factors for VAP have been identified in the literature; however, there is a lack of studies examining the association between endotracheal tube (ETT) repositioning and an increase in the risk of VAP. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to investigate the effect of ETT repositioning and the risk of developing VAP. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):254-263

Department of Pulmonology, University Clinical Hospital of Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Introduction: Diagnosis of pleural infection (PI) may be challenging. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a clinical prediction model for the diagnosis of PI based on pleural fluid (PF) biomarkers.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted on pleural effusion. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):248-253

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Background: Better outcomes have been observed in patients with acute unprovoked than provoked pulmonary embolism (PE). Prognostic biomarkers were studied in heterogeneous patient population and were not verified in patients with unprovoked PE.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with unprovoked acute PE from 2010 to 2017 at Asan Medical Center, South Korea, were analyzed retrospectively. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):239-247

Department of Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Thoracoscopic surgery and other minimally invasive approaches in children achieved marked advancement and expanded to include several disciplines in the last decade. The new armamentarium of the minimally invasive surgery including the smaller instruments and better magnification led to the application of this technology in the small infants and neonates. Currently, thoracoscopy is considered the preferred surgical approach for various conditions in neonates and infants over the standard thoracotomy, and thoracoscopic training is included in the surgical training curriculum for the residents in many institutes worldwide. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):226-238

7th Respiratory Medicine Department, Athens Chest Hospital, Athens, Greece.

In daily clinical practice, radiologists and pulmonologists are faced with incidental radiographic findings of pulmonary nodules. Deciding how to manage these findings is very important as many of them may be benign and require no further action, but others may represent early disease and importantly early-stage lung cancer and require prompt diagnosis and definitive treatment. As the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules includes invasive procedures which can be relatively minimal, such as bronchoscopy or transthoracic aspiration or biopsy, but also more invasive procedures such as thoracic surgical biopsies, and as these procedures are linked to anxiety and to cost, it is important to have clearly defined algorithms for the description, management, and follow-up of these nodules. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Oct-Dec;14(4):223-225

Department of Intensive Care, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):220-221

Intensive Care Department, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. E-mail:

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):216-219

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

The Nuss method has become the standard surgery for the treatment of funnel chest, and good therapeutic results have been reported. Among the complications of the Nuss method, displacement of the bar is the most frequent, and there are cases in which reoperation is necessary. In this case report, we have devised a new stabilizer that connects and fixes two bars as bar displacement occurred following each of the two prior Nuss procedures, and the outcome of our procedure was evaluated. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):213-215

Centre for Chest Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India.

Adjuvant radiotherapy is indicated in few operated cases of lung cancer for effective local control. Oesophageal perforation and aortic rupture are rare and lethal complications of postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy. Both of these complications happened in a 64 year male patient with squamous cell carcinoma of lung. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):205-212

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea.

Objective: Confirming the histologic diagnosis of small pulmonary nodules or Ground-glass opacity nodules (GGNs) of unknown origin is difficult. These nodules are not always appropriate for percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy. Preoperative localization of pulmonary lesions provides more precise target points to ensure complete surgical excision. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):198-204

Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Aims: Flexible bronchoscopy is a common procedure performed in pulmonary medicine, critical care, and thoracic surgery. In this study, we aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of anxiety in patients undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy.

Methods: This is a prospective study conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):192-197

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey.

Objectives: Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) and some neuromuscular diseases (NMD) present with hypercapnic respiratory failure. Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis is important in the diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment response of these diseases. However, ABG sampling is difficult in these patients because of excessive subcutaneous fat tissue, muscle atrophy, or contracture. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):186-191

Transplant Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Background: Low-dose tacrolimus-based immunosuppression is a standard therapy in kidney and liver transplantation; however, the optimal therapeutic level of tacrolimus has not been established in lung transplantation. We aimed to identify the tacrolimus level associated with better outcomes in lung transplant patients.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients who underwent lung transplantation at Seoul National University Hospital between 2006 and 2016. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):179-185

Department of Medicine, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: After the emergence of new influenza viruses, the morbidity and mortality of viral pneumonia have received a great attention.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory changes, and outcomes of viral pneumonia caused by influenza and the Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, the medical records of all patients diagnosed with viral pneumonia at Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the period from January 2012 to December 2015 were screened. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):173-178

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.

Lung cancer remains a major cause of cancer mortality with a 5-year survival in advanced stages around 4%. Platinum-based chemotherapy was routinely used as the standard of care in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer, but it is being progressively replaced by targeted molecular therapy. One of the molecular aberrations harbored by lung adenocarcinoma is the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Jul-Sep;14(3):165-172

Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Respiratory Cell Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the third most common cause of death globally. Due to the complexity of CAP, it is widely accepted that, currently, clinical prognosis and diagnosis is inadequate for the assessment of the severity of the disease. With the aim to determining the initial treatment and the appropriate level of intervention, several clinical scores of severity and biomarkers have been developed. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):161-163

Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNEC) is an abnormal proliferation of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells that occur without underlying etiology. Here, we report a unique case of 55-year-old female with unusual presentation of DIPNECH and thymoma and on the background history of Crohn's disease that might point toward an autoimmune phenomenon. To the best of our knowledge, there were no previous reports of DIPNECH with either thymoma or Crohn's disease. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):155-160

Ministry of Interior, General Department of Criminal Evidence, Department of Forensic Medicine, Farwaniyah, Kuwait.

Background: Reports of thunderstorm asthma in the Middle East are few. This study is the first to report on cases of near-fatal and fatal thunderstorm asthma in Kuwait on December 1, 2016.

Methods: We conducted a chart review and interview with adult patients admitted to Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital with near-fatal asthma, defined as an exacerbation requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation or hypercapnia with a PaCO≥6 kPa. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):148-154

King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, KSA.

Context: Asthma control is suboptimal in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Aims: The aim of this study is to assess the level of asthma control in Saudi patients as per the Global Initiative for Asthma 2012 classification and explore its potential predictive factors.

Settings And Design: Epidemiological Study on the Management of Asthma in Asthmatic Middle East Adult Population (ESMAA) is a multicentric, descriptive, epidemiological study assessing asthma management in the MENA region. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):141-147

Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon, USA.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are at an increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risks and benefits associated with preoperative steroids in COPD patients.

Methods: The National Surgical Quality Improved Program database was used to identify 92 COPD patients who underwent surgery at the American University of Beirut Medical Center between 2009 and 2013. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):134-140

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong, People's Republic of China.

Objective: The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the efficacy of medical thoracoscopy in diagnosing of tuberculous pleurisy and characterize tuberculous pleurisy with medical thoracoscopy.

Methods: A total of 575 patients with tuberculous pleurisy who underwent medical thoracoscopy were included in the study. Demographic data, clinical manifestations, and routine and biochemical tests on pleural fluid, cultures of pleural fluid, sputum, and pleural biopsy for the detection of and pathological findings were evaluated. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):127-133

Department of Community and Behavioral Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA.

Introduction: E-cigarettes have emerged as the most commonly used tobacco or nicotine products among youth in the United States (US), and usage with other products (dual use) is not well understood. This study assessed dual use and identified associated factors of usage in school-going youth in the high tobacco burdened region of rural Appalachian Tennessee.

Methods: Two waves of data for the same cohort of students were collected in 2014 (Wave 1) and 2016 (Wave 2). Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):122-126

Alfaisal University, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):116-121

Medical Research Center, Research Affairs, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.

This paper aims to cover the current status of asthma and obesity in the Middle East, as well as to introduce the various studies tying the two diseases; further expanding on the proposed mechanisms. Finally, the paper covers recent literature related to sphingolipids and its role in asthma, followed by recommendations and future directions. In preparation of this paper, we searched PubMed and Google Scholar, with no restrictions, using the following terms; asthma, obesity, Middle East, sphingolipids. Read More

Ann Thorac Med 2019 Apr-Jun;14(2):106-115

College of Medicine and Health Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.

Sarcoidosis, a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown cause, has been described worldwide and in all populations with notable differences in clinical characteristics, organ involvement, disease severity, and prognosis among different ethnic and racial groups. While the exact prevalence of sarcoidosis in the Middle East is unknown, studies from various countries in the region have reported the clinical characteristics of affected patients, along with a few anecdotal reports. A search of the MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases was conducted for relevant English-language articles using the terms "sarcoidosis" and "Middle East" or "sarcoidosis" and "Arabs. Read More