Concurrence of sarcoidosis and systemic lupus erythematosus in three patients.

We present three cases of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and sarcoidosis. Although both of these conditions are thought to involve autoimmune mechanisms they occur together only rarely. Our cases suggest that their concurrence may be more common than previously thought, and raise issues regarding the management of patients with SLE. We discuss the possibility that these two diseases are either causally or mechanistically related.