Introduction: Patients with advanced pulmonary sarcoidosis have significant mortality. Identifying predictors of mortality is essential to guide timely management. In other interstitial lung diseases, a fall in forced vital capacity (FVC) over 12 months has been associated with increased mortality.
Objectives: We analyzed a large cohort of advanced pulmonary sarcoidosis patients from the Registry for Advanced Sarcoidosis (ReAS) to determine if a decline in FVC at one-year was associated with decreased survival.
Materials and Methods: Entry criteria for enrollment in ReAS included sarcoidosis patients with advanced pulmonary disease (significantly impaired pulmonary function, fibrotic lung disease, or pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension), cardiac disease, neurologic disease or receiving third line therapy. A contemporaneous control population was enrolled and matched for age, race, and gender. Data including spirometry and Kings’ Sarcoidosis Questionnaire-Lung (KSQ-L) were collected at baseline and at regular intervals. Clinical status was determined as of 12/31/2025 or at the last known contact date. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed, and results are reported as hazard ratios (HRs)for mortality with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and p-values <0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: A subset of 86 patients with initial and 12-month follow-up data was analyzed. Overall, 21% of patients died or were transplanted during a median follow-up of 7.2 years. An absolute decrease in FVC % predicted of 5% or greater was associated with increased mortality (HR 3.1 (CI: 1.15 to 8.10, p=0.024). Additionally, FVC decline > 150 ml was associated with a 3.8-fold increased mortality (HR = 3.84 (CI: 1.46 to 10.06, p=0.006). Eighteen patients experienced a decrease in KSQ-L of 4 or more points without associated increase in mortality (HR =1.19 [CI: 0.373 to 3.795, p=0.086).
Conclusions: A significant decrease in FVC (>5% predicted or 150 mL) at 12-months was associated with reduced survival in patients with advanced pulmonary sarcoidosis.