Progressive neurosarcoidosis: A case report

Neurosarcoidosis affects 3% to 5% of patients with sarcoidosis. It involves primarily the central nervous system and/or the peripheral nervous system. The treatment of a patient with neurosarcoidosis is difficult, and functional improvement following intensive rehabilitation has not been described. We report a middle-aged man who presented initially with ophthalmologic and pulmonary symptoms consistent with sarcoidosis and who later developed progressive weakness of the lower extremities, with impaired ambulation. The patient's clinical presentation, assessment, and rehabilitation management are presented. Also, the different pharmacologic treatments used to control the disease, and that may alter the long-term functional improvement of patients with neurosarcoidosis, are discussed. (C) 1997 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.