SARCOIDOSIS AND THE KVEIM REACTION

[摘要] An investigation of the Kveim test was made, and the findings are reported. The test was found to be both reliable and practical in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Some properties of the Kveim antigen were observed. The pathogenesis of the positive Kveim test was studied by comparing positive tests of the same and different durations and by serial biopsy. It is suggested that the papule at the site of a positive Kveim test is fundamentally a lesion of sarcoidosis, in which case, the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis is revealed. A concept of sarcoidosis involving an antigen-antibody mechanism is suggested, based on observations of the Kveim test. Preliminary study to support this concept is encouraging.