KVEIM TEST IN SARCOIDOSIS AND TUBERCULOSIS - PRELIMINARY REPORT

[摘要] The Kveim test for sarcoidosis was studied in 24 patients with typical clinical, laboratory, and histologic findings of sarcoidosis and 43 other subjects including 19 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. A total of 169 tests were made employing a suspension of sarcoid lymph node tissue and a filtered preparation as well as suspensions of sarcoid tissue prepared by other investigators. The criterion of a positive test was the histologic demonstration of epitheloid-cell tubercles with or without fibrinoid necrosis, 8 weeks after the intradermal injection of the test material. Reactions were seen in 26.8% of tests on patients with sarcoidosis, in 18.6% of tests on patients with tuberculosis, in 43.8% of tests on patients with suspected sarcoidosis and 14.3% of tests on other control subjects. Results indicate that the Kveim reaction cannot be relied upon as an aid in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Whatever the factors responsible for the divergent results of various investigations of this reaction, clinical use of the Kveim test is not justified until further critical studies establish its ability to distinguish sarcoidosis from tuberculosis and other granulomatous diseases.