Sarcoidosis

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Summary

Sarcoidosis is a disease that leads to inflammation, usually in your lungs, skin, or lymph nodes. It starts as tiny, grain-like lumps, called granulomas. Sarcoidosis can affect any organ in your body.

No one is sure what causes sarcoidosis. It affects men and women of all ages and races. It occurs mostly in people ages 20 to 50, African Americans, especially women, and people of Northern European origin.

Many people have no symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may include:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Weight loss
• Night sweats
• Fatigue

Tests to diagnose sarcoidosis include chest x-rays, lung function tests, and a biopsy. Not everyone who has the disease needs treatment. If you do, prednisone, a type of steroid, is the main treatment.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

• Learn about Sarcoidosis (American Lung Association)
• Sarcoidosis (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• What Is Sarcoidosis? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Lung Function Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Tests for Lung Disease (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Cardiac Sarcoidosis (National Jewish Health) - PDF
• Neurosarcoidosis (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Sarcoidosis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Optimal left ventricular ejection fraction in risk stratification of patients with...
• Article: "The chameleon among diseases" - an explorative view of sarcoidosis and...
• Article: SACE and IL-2R as serum biomarkers for evaluation of multi-organ involvement...
• Sarcoidosis -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Lung Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Patient Handouts

• ACE blood test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Neurosarcoidosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pulmonary function tests (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Sarcoidosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish