Cutaneous Sarcoidosis in African Americans

Background: Though African Americans are known to be at greater risk of acquiring sarcoidosis and developing more severe disease, few studies have analyzed the racial differences in cutaneous sarcoidosis. Aim: Our study sought to characterize patients' cutaneous disease in terms of color and morphology, and to establish whether race, presence of cutaneous sarcoidosis, or specific lesion characteristics were associated with the age at diagnosis. Methods: Sarcoidosis patients' charts were reviewed retrospectively for sex, race, and age at diagnosis. If present, cutaneous lesions were further characterized by color and morphology. Results: 491 patients had sarcoidosis, and 122 (25.3%) patients had cutaneous involvement. Black patients were more likely to have cutaneous involvement than white patients (p<0.001). There was no difference in color or morphology of cutaneous lesions between black and white patients. Conclusions: Blacks are at higher risk for developing cutaneous disease, but, aside from lupus pernio, color and morphology of cutaneous sarcoidosis lesions are no different between black and white patients.