Which pulmonary granulomatous syndrome is berylliosis histologically indistinguishable from?

Berylliosis is a pulmonary granulomatous disease caused by exposure to beryllium, and it shares histopathological features with several other conditions. However, it is most often cited as being histologically indistinguishable from sarcoidosis.

Both berylliosis and sarcoidosis feature non-caseating granulomas in the lungs, with a similar arrangement of inflammatory cells and fibrotic tissue. This similarity can create challenges in differentiation through histological examination alone. In clinical practice, additional diagnostic criteria, such as exposure history, clinical presentation, and specialized tests like beryllium lymphocyte proliferation testing, are often employed to distinguish between these two conditions effectively.

While coal worker's pneumoconiosis, silicosis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis also involve lung inflammation and can present with granulomas, their histological characteristics differ notably. For example, coal worker's pneumoconiosis is characterized by coal dust accumulation and a different type of fibrotic response, while silicosis is associated with crystalline silica and shows distinct astroid bodies. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis has a more prominent lymphocytic infiltrate and often presents with poorly formed granulomas. Thus, while berylliosis shares features with these