Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a disease that results from a specific type of inflammation of tissues of the body. It can appear in almost any body organ, but it starts most often in the lings or lymph nodes.

The cause of sarcoidosis is unknown. The disease can appear suddenly and disappear. Or it can develop gradually and go on to produce symptoms that come and go, sometimes for a lifetime.

What are symptoms of sarcoidosis?

Shortness of breath (dyspnea) and acough that won’t go away can be among the first symptoms of sarcoidosis. But sarcoidosis can also show up suddenly with the appearance of skin rashes. Red bumps (erythema nodosum) on the face, arms or shins and inflammation of the eyes are also common symptoms.

It is not unusual, however, for sarcoidosis symptoms to be more general. Weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, fever, or just an overall feling of ill health can also be clues to the disease. Sarcoidosis was once considered a rare disease. We now know that it is a common chronic illness that  appears all over the world. Indeed, it is the most common of the scarring lung disorders and occurs often enough in the United States for Congress to have declared a national sarcoidosis Awareness Day in 1990.

Anyone can get sarcoidosis. It occurs in all races and in both sexes. Sarcoidosis mainly affects people between 20 to 40 years of age. White women are just as likely as white men to get sarcoidosis, but the black female gets sarcoidosis two times as often as the black male. No one knows what causes sarcoidosis. Much about sarcoidosis remains unknown. Nenertheless, if you have the disaesa, you can be reassured about several things. Sarcoidosis is usually not crippling. It often goes away by itself, with most cases healing in 24 to 36 months. Even when sarcoidosis lasts longer, most patients can go about their lives as usual. Sarcoidosis is not a cancer. It is not contagious , and your friends and family will not catch it from you. Although it can occur in families, there is no evidence that sarcoidosis is passed from parents to children. Sarcoidosis is currently thought to be associated  with an abnormal immune response. It is not known whether the trigger that initiates the immune disturbance is a foreign substance, chemical, drug, virus or some other substance.

In general, sarcoidosis appears briefly and heals naturally in 60% - 70% of the cases, often without the patient knowing or doing anything about it. From 20% - 30% of sarcoidosis patients are left with some permanent lung damage. In 10% - 15% of the patients, sarcoidosis can become chronic.

When either the granulomas or fibrosis seriously affect the function of a vital organ – the lungs, heart, nervous system, liver or kidneys, for example – sarcoidosis can be fatal. This occurs 5% - 10% of the time. Some people are more at risk than others; no one knows why.

No one can predict how sarcoidosis will progress in an individual patient. The patient’s symptoms, race, and the doctor’s findings can give some clues. For example, a sudden onset of general symptoms such as weight loss of feeling poorly are usually taken to mean that the course of sarcoidosis will be relatively short and mild. Dyspnea and possibly skin sarcoidosis often indicate that the sarcoidosis will be more chronic and severe.

White patients are more likely to develop the milder form of the disease. Black people tend to develop the more chronic and severe form.

Preliminary diagnosis of sarcoidosis is based on the patient’ history, routine tests, a physical examination, and a chest  x-ray. In addition to the lungs and lymph nodes, the body organs more likely than others to be affected by sarcoidosis are the liver, skin, heart, nervous system and kidneys in that order of frequency . Patients can have symptoms related to the specific organ affected, they can have only general symptoms, or they can be without any symptoms whatsoever. Symptoms also can vary according to how long the illness has been under way, where the granulomas are forming, hoe much tissue has become affected, and whether the granulomatous process is still active.

In addition to family and close friends, a number of local lung organizations, other nonprofit health organizations, and self help groups are available to help patients cope with sarcoidosis. By keeping in touch with them, you can share personal feelings and experiences. Members also share specific information on the latest scientific advances, where to find a sarcoidosis specialist, and how to find a sarcoidosis specialist, and how to improve one’s self image.

 

Thanks,

Health-Nov-2012