Sarcoidosis

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Sarcoid, stage I - chest X-ray Sarcoid, stage II - chest X-ray Sarcoid, stage IV - chest X-ray Sarcoid - close-up of the skin lesions Erythema nodosum associated with sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis - close-up Sarcoidosis on the elbow Sarcoidosis on the nose and forehead Respiratory system

Overview Symptoms Treatment Prevention

Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis symptoms often gradually resolve on their own without treatment.

Severely affected patients may require treatment with corticosteroids. Therapy may continue for one or two years, although some of the most severely affected may require life-long therapy.

Immunosuppressive agents, such as methotrexate, azathioprine, and cyclophosphamide, are sometimes used in addition to corticosteroids. Rarely, some individuals with irreversible organ failure require organ transplantation.

Many people are not seriously ill, and the disease may resolve without treatment. Thirty to fifty percent of cases resolve without treatment in 3 years. About 20% of those with lung involvement will develop residual lung damage. Death from sarcoidosis is rare.

• Diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Anterior uveitis
• Glaucoma and blindness (rare)
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Cranial or peripheral nerve palsies
• Kidney stones
• Organ failure, leading to the need for a transplant

Call your health care provider if difficulty breathing, vision changes, palpitations, or other symptoms suggestive of this disorder develop.

Murray JF, Nadel JA. Sarcoidosis. In: Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 3rd ed.W. B. Saunders Company, 2000; 1717-1732.

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