Korean J Occup Environ Med KJOEM Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1225-3618 The Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 10.0000/kjoem.2012.24.2.189 Case Report A Case of Sarcoidosis in a Stonemason Exposed to Crystalline Silica Cho Young-Seung Kim Kyeong-Yeon Yoon Hyoung-Gyu 1 Koo Jung-Wan Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. Corresponding author (jwkoo@catholic.ac.kr) 06 2012 30 06 2012 24 2 189 194 24 05 2011 18 04 2012 18 04 2012 Copyright © 2012 The Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2012 Background

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease that can affect any organ, the exact cause of which is uncertain. Currently, investigations of crystalline silica improve the mechanism how it works the course of autoimmune diseases and some hypothesis supports that it also can attribute to sarcoidosis.

 Case report

The patient was a 53-year-old male, who works as a stonemason for 30 years. Sarcoidosis was suspected based on his chest X-ray and CT(Computed tomography). A biopsy was performed and he was indeed diagnosed with sarcoidosis.

 Conclusion

It is thought that sarcoidosis is more prevalent in the people who work at places with a risk of exposure to crystalline silica. This case suggests that if a patient gets sarcoidosis after being exposed to crystalline silica, or after once being diagnosed with silicosis, his or her sarcoidosis may have occurred due to exposure to crystalline silica.

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