New Therapy for Chronic Sarcoidosis with L. and Ferrum Chloratum Preparations: Results of a Retrospective Survey

Background Sarcoidosis is a chronic, inflammatory, granulomatous, multisystem disease. At the Department of Pneumology of the hospital Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Havelhöhe, the treatment of sarcoidosis is complemented with a multi-component mixture based on Viscum album L. , mistletoe extracts and Ferrum chloratum according to the Havelhöhe Sarcoidosis Protocol (HSP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the course of disease in sarcoidosis patients treated with HSP. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted by evaluating data on clinical progression, pulmonary function, fatigue, and adverse events in a real-world sarcoidosis cohort using descriptive statistics. Results 956 patients with sarcoidosis were treated with HSP between 2003 and 2022 and a total of 124 consenting patients (all stages, 35% multi-organ sarcoidosis, mean age 43 years, 69% female) were evaluated for clinical outcomes over a median follow-up of 23 months. The response rate for controlling pulmonary disease in this study cohort was 69%. At baseline, 81 patients (65%) had clinically relevant fatigue, which improved in 48 patients (59%) during HSP therapy. At the last follow-up visit, 103 (83%) did not need glucocorticosteroids or other medications and were receiving only HSP. Pharmacovigilant monitoring demonstrated a safe HSP therapeutic profile, with only 10 (8%) subjects experiencing grade 1 adverse events. Conclusion The feasibility and safety of complementary HSP therapy in the treatment of sarcoidosis have been demonstrated. These results should be used for the creation of hypotheses and further investigations.