SERUM ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME DOES NOT CORRELATE WITH RADIOGRAPHIC STAGE AT INITIAL DIAGNOSIS OF SARCOIDOSIS

Serum levels of angiotension converting enzyme (ACE) are elevated in m any patients who suffer from sarcoidosis. Few studies have correlated ACE levels at diagnosis with the radiographic stage of the disease. Th e present authors reviewed the charts of all patients who had the diag nosis of sarcoidosis made between 1990 and 1995, and correlated ACE le vel at diagnosis with radiographic stage. Only patients with biopsy-pr oven sarcoid were included. One hundred and sixteen cases were identif ied, and complete data were available for 104 individuals. Serum ACE l evels were increased in approximately 63.5% of the study population. T he relationships between both stage and ACE level, and stage and perce ntage of individuals with elevated ACE levels within that stage were n ot statistically significant (P>0.05). This large, retrospective study of patients with histologic evidence of sarcoidosis demonstrated no a ssociation between serum ACE level and radiographic stage.