The value of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in sarcoidosis

Normal pulmonary function tests (PTFs) do not always predict functional limitations during exercise in sarcoidosis. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) may facilitate in recognition of exercise intolerance in these patients. A relevant data in sarcoid patients are limited, including spirometry, DLCO and lung volumes and CPET using standard protocol, 83 sarcoid patients consecutively referred for evaluation of exertional dyspnea over a 3-year period. Patients were grouped according to their radiologiacal stages as Stage I: 43, Stages II-III: 31 and Stage IV: 9. VO2 peak was decreased (