Uveitis in patients with sarcoidosis is not associated with mutations in NOD2 (CARD15)

PURPOSE: Mutations in NOD2 are responsible for Blau syndrome, a systemic disease triad involving the uvea, joints, and skin. NOD2 mutations are also associated with Crohn disease. Both Blau syndrome and Crohn disease involve granulomatous inflammation and uveitis, as does sarcoidosis. We sought to determine if NOD2 mutations were present in patients with sarcoidosis, especially those with uveitis. METHODS: NOD2 gene exons were sequenced from DNA obtained from sarcoidosis patients. The diagnoses of sarcoidosis and uveitis were verified from clinical records. RESULTS: NOD2 polymorphisms were found in 26 patients with sarcoidosis (13 with uveitis). There was no significant difference in allele frequencies between patients with and without uveitis. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the strikingly similar pathologies of Blau syndrome and sarcoidosis, no mutations were found to be associated with sarcoidosis in a group of patients, regardless of the presence of uveitis.