Occupational exposure and sarcoidosis: a case-control study in three countries

Preceding studies of environmental and occupational risk factors of sarcoidosis yielded inconsistent findings. We aimed to ascertain the occupational risk factors for sarcoidosis in a case-control study. A total of 237 sarcoidosis patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis were matched with 474 controls for sex and age (median 49, interquartile range 37; 60 years) recruited from the university hospitals and outpatient centres in Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. Ever and cumulative (considering years and hours per week) exposure to 24 occupational factors were analysed using logistic regression. In the overall sample of 711 subjects, 50% were females and any occupational exposure was more prevalent in cases compared to controls (60% versus 40%, P