Neurosarcoidosis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Sarcoid, stage I - chest X-ray

Sarcoid, stage II - chest X-ray

Sarcoid, stage IV - chest X-ray

Neurosarcoidosis

Alternative Names:

Sarcoidosis - nervous system
Symptoms:

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Involvement of the pituitary gland can cause:

High urine output
Excessive thirst
Changes in menstrual periods
Excessive tiredness (fatigue)

Involvement of the brain or cranial nerves:

Facial palsy (weakness, drooping)
Dementia or delirium
- Confusion, disorientation
- Loss of memory, judgment, or calculation skills
Psychiatric disturbances (any)
Seizures
Headache
Loss of sense of smell
Loss of sense of taste, abnormal tastes
Decreased hearing
Vision abnormalities
Dizziness or vertigo (abnormal sensation of movement)
Speech impairment

Involvement of one or more peripheral nerves:

Loss of sensation in any body part
Abnormal sensations in any body part
Loss of movement of any body part (joint stiffness)
Weakness of any body part

Note: The symptoms are highly variable. Any part of the nervous system can be affected, from a single nerve to multiple nerves to many different sites in the nervous system.
Signs and tests:

An examination may indicate single nerve dysfunction (mononeuropathy) or dysfunction of multiple peripheral nerves (sensorimotor polyneuropathy). Signs may mimic diabetes insipidus, hypopituitarism, optic neuritis, meningitis, space-occupying lesions such as tumors, or other neurologic disorders.

A history of sarcoidosis followed by neurologic symptoms is highly suggestive of neurosarcoidosis. Blood tests are nonspecific. A lumbar puncture may show signs of inflammation. Elevated levels of angiotensin converting enzyme may be found in the blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

If sarcoidosis is suspected but not already known, a chest x-ray often reveals lesions typical of the disorder. Nerve biopsy of affected nerve tissue confirms the disorder.