Subhepatic Abscess Unmasking the Silent Gastric and Pulmonary Sarcoidosis

Basida, Brinda; Haider, Maryam B; Bapatla, Anusha; Zalavadiya, Nirav; Iqbal, Sana

Sarcoidosis is a non-necrotizing granulomatous disease of unknown etiology presenting with variable systemic manifestations. Lung involvement is the most common initial presentation of sarcoidosis. Rarely, patients can present with initial non-pulmonary symptoms. Asymptomatic gastric sarcoidosis is a difficult diagnosis as it is not only rare but also under-recognized in the majority of cases. Its treatment is exclusively recommended for symptomatic cases only. However, it is of extreme significance to have the asymptomatic patients follow up outpatient regularly to prevent any major complications. Here, we present an interesting case of a 54-year-old African American female patient with only abdominal pain symptoms attributed to a hepatic abscess. A diagnosis of gastric sarcoidosis was solely based on the presence of non-necrotizing granulomas on biopsy following esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Incidentally, she was also found to have pulmonary sarcoidosis based on imaging. Her abdominal symptoms improved with abscess drainage and so, she was never started on steroids. She was followed up outpatient for pulmonary function tests. The patient continues to do well without any specific treatment for sarcoidosis. This case demonstrates the variability of sarcoidosis and the significance of biopsy in gastric sarcoidosis.