[Sarcoidosis of the stomach]. / Sarkoidoz zheludka.

The article describes sarcoidosis affected mucous membrane of the stomach. On the basis of literature data and personal observations (2 cases of sarcoidosis affected the mucous membrane of the stomach in 40 sarcoidosis patients examined), the endoscopic characteristics of the mucous membrane of the stomach are given. It is found that the process is frequently localized in the antral portion of the stomach being combined with +pyloric stenosis. Patients with chronic sarcoidosis were examined, unlike foreign authors who surveyed those with first sarcoidosis. The presence of "sarcoid" changes in the mucous membrane of the stomach appears to be one of the signs of the process manifestation and requires hormonal agents to be used. It is necessary to conduct endoscopic examinations of the gastrointestinal tract to detect both the disease and different chronic lesions of the stomach in a specialized hospital where sarcoidosis patients are treated.

[Considerations about the incidence of sarcoidosis in the Lettish SSR (author's transl)]. / Betrachtungen zur Sarkoidose-Inzidenz in der Lettischen SSR.

In the Lettish SSR sarcoidosis was discovered in 292 women and 192 men in the period from 1958 to 1975. The average annual incidence rate per 10000 inhabitants was 3.09 in females and 2.04 in males. Contrary to this general predominance of females over males the incidence rate for boys was 4 to 5 times higher than for girls in the youngest age group ranging from 10 to 19 years. In the age group from 20 to 29 years there was also still noted a distinctly higher relative incidence in males but it was smaller in comparison with the younger group. The reasons for these age depending sex differences are unknown. The possible importance of endocrine processes for the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis is discussed.

[Cholinergic bronchial reactivity in patients with sarcoidosis]. / Zur cholinergischen Bronchialreagibilität bei Sarkoidosekranken.

The acetylcholine aerosol test was used for testing 65 patients suffering from sarcoidosis for cholinergic bronchial hyperexcitability. Among 46 patients with stage I and stage II sarcoidosis there was only one female patient where the acetylcholine aerosol test gave positive results; however, it was not possible to establish a relationship between bronchial hyperexcitability and sarcoidosis. In two other patients with stage III sarcoidosis, where the acetylcholine aerosol test also gave positive results, there obviously was a close relationship between bronchial hyperexcitability and sarcoidosis. It is considered that positive acetylcholine aerosol test results might be interpreted as being indicative of stage III sarcoidosis. It should be noted in this connection that the third or fibrotic stage of sarcoidosis was characterized by a very much smaller number of cases showing positive acteylcholine aerosol test results than are, in general, observed for those forms of tuberculosis which are accompanied by more or less widespread fibrous processes taking place in, and causing major alterations to, the lungs and which may be described as chronically hematogenously disseminated, fibrocavernous, and cirrhotic forms of pulmonary tuberculosis. Also discussed in detail are the possible reasons for this different behavior.