Sarcoidosis in pregnancy: a review with reference to kidney involvement

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous multi-system disease of unknown aetiology affecting many organs. Generally, pregnancy has no adverse effect on sarcoidosis and it seems unlikely that the disease would affect the pregnancy or the fetus. Usually, a woman with sarcoidosis should be reassured to carry on her pregnancy. However, a progression of sarcoidosis and the outcome of pregnancy mostly depends on the type and severity of the extrapulmonary lesions. Some localisations, particularly in the kidney, although less often diagnosed may be life-threatening. Thus, a patient with advanced renal involvement should be followed carefully. We report a rare case of a pregnant woman with sarcoidosis giving rise to renal insufficiency due to nephrocalcinosis. The present case shows that the impairment of renal function prior to conception is of major importance. The use of colour Doppler sonography as an additional method for evaluation of kidney function is described.