Epidemiological study of sarcoidosis in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus

The article presents for the first time the results of studying the epidemiology and incidence of sarcoidosis in the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus. One hundred ninety - three servicemen were prospectively examined; the clinical features of the disease’s onset and course were assessed. The incidence of sarcoidosis from 2000 to 2018 increased from 6.2 to 39.6 per 100 thousand (an increase exceeded 600%); in 2018, the figure was 100 per 100 thousand. There was a tendency to increase the incidence of sarcoidosis in military personnel at an earlier age. In contrast, the incidence rate of contract servicemen (0.52 ‰) is higher than that of conscripts (0.23 ‰). The peak incidence occurs at the age of 20-25 years. The incidence of acute forms of sarcoidosis is 6.2%, and that of familial cases is 1%. The most frequently recorded X-ray stage of sarcoidosis (50.5%) and the second clinical and X-ray form - sarcoidosis of the intrathoracic lymph nodes and lungs (70.3%). Clinical manifestation in military personnel is characterized by a high frequency of asymptomatic forms, the low information content of laboratory parameters, and predominantly average spirogram indicators. The recurrence rate was 7%, and the progressive one was 13%.

military personnel, armed forces of the Republic of Belarus, sarcoidosis, epidemiology, morbidity