Sarcoidosis Symptoms, Risk Factors & Treatment
Sarcoid Can Cause Lung Disease Heart Failure & Other Complications
Feb 2, 2009
Sarcoidosis was first identified in 1869. More than a century later, the illness still baffles scientists. An inflammatory disease, which can affect many parts of the body, sarcoidosis has no known cause or cure.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the mysterious inflammation produces tiny lumps of cells called granulomas, which resemble grains of sand.
If these grains multiply and merge, they can create groups of lumps. If numerous lumps form in an organ, they can affect that part of the body. That’s when symptoms crop up.
Because the illness can involve a variety of age groups, multiple organs and a myriad of symptoms, sarcoid is sometimes initially mistaken for other diseases.
Symptoms
Because most cases of sarcoidosis involve the lungs, shortness of breath and a persistent cough are common signs of the disease.
In addition to the lungs, sarcoidosis can attack the:
- brain and nervous system
- eyes
- lymph nodes
- heart
- liver
- spleen
- muscles
- joints and bones
- skin
Other symptoms can vary depending on which organs the illness attacks. But the most common warning signs include:
- fatigue
- weight loss
- night sweats
- fever
- skin lesions
- joint pain or swelling
People who have sarcoidosis almost always have it in more than one organ.
Risk Factors
The disease most commonly strikes adults between age 20 and 40. However, pediatric patients can have it too.
African Americans, Asians, Scandinavians, Germans, Puerto Ricans and the Irish have the highest rates of sarcoidosis in the world.
In the United States, the illness affects more African Americans than Caucasians. Sarcoidosis is usually more severe in African American women.
Non-smokers are more likely to get sarcoidosis, as are school teachers, firefighters, health care workers and people who work around certain chemicals.
Sarcoidosis is not contagious, but could have a genetic component. Relatives of people who have sarcoidosis are at a greater risk of getting the illness.
Sarcoidosis is not preventable.
Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis
Many people who have clinical sarcoidosis never experience any symptoms; the illness is sometimes accidentally discovered because the person had a chest x-ray for an unrelated issue.
In addition to x-rays, biopsies, CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging are typically used in the diagnosis of the disease.
Sarcoidosis is usually not fatal. In fact, sarcoidosis heals naturally in most cases.
However, a lot of patients do have symptoms that can last months or even years if the granulomas spread and cause scarring in the organs.
Prednisone, an anti-inflammatory steroid, is often prescribed to manage the symptoms. The medicine does not cure the disease and can cause serious side effects, including hypertension.
Sarcoidosis can result in death if the granulomas scar enough tissue in vital organs. Cardiac sarcoidosis can lead to heart failure.
According to the National Institutes of Health, genetic, cellular and biochemical research is underway to solve the mystery of sarcoidosis.
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