SARCOIDOSIS Disease Overview

SARCOIDOSIS

Disease Overview

FOUNDATION FOR

COIDOSIS RESEARCH

foundation for sarcoidosis research

Table of contents

?? What Is Sarcoidosis?

1

?? What are the common

symptoms?

3

?? How Does Sarcoidosis

Affect The Different

Organs Of The Body? 4

?

?

?

?

?

?

Lungs 5

Lymph Nodes

6

Skin 7

?? What are

the Causes?

18

?? What are

the risk factors?

18

?? How to prepare

for your doctor

appointment 19

?? What are the

common tests and

diagnosis methods?

20

Eyes 8

?? What are

common treatments? 23

Heart 9

?? What Lifestyle changes

can help? 25

Brain and

Nervous System

10

? Bones, Joints,

and Muscles

(Musculoskeletal system) 12

? Spleen 14

? Liver 15

? Kidneys and

Urinary Tract

16

? Salivary Glands 17

? Sinuses 17

?? What are some

resources for

coping and support?

26

?? How Can I Find

A Doctor Who

Treats Sarcoidosis?

27

?? What Can Patients

Do To Help

Find Answers

and Treatments

for Sarcoidosis?

28

?? How does

the Foundation

for Sarcoidosis

research help?

28

The Foundation for

Sarcoidosis Research

is dedicated to

providing resources

to patients, physicians,

and researchers. This

brochure provides

information about

sarcoidosis to help guide in

understanding the full scope

of this rare but devastating

disease. We partner with many

professional organizations and

industry to ensure excellence in

information, resources, and

research initiatives.

This brochure is supported in part by:

FOUNDATION FOR

SARCOIDOSIS RESEARCH

? 2015 Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research. All rights reserved

What Is Sarcoidosis?

Sarcoidosis is an ¡°inflammatory¡± disease that can affect almost any organ in the

body. When the body functions in a healthy way, inflammation in the body can

be a good thing. For instance, when you accidentally cut the tip of your finger,

your finger becomes red, swollen, and warm to the

touch ¨C inflamed ¨C because your blood carries

special cells and chemicals to the area to

destroy any harmful substances that

may have entered your body through

the cut. In a few days, the cut heals

and your finger returns to normal.

But sometimes, inflammation

gets out of control. The immune

system goes into overdrive, and

instead of protecting the body,

inflammatory cells sometimes group

together and form lumps called

granulomas. When too many of these

clumps form in an organ, they can

interfere with the organ¡¯s function.

Lung granuloma, courtesy of

Daniel Culver, DO, and Carol Farvor, MD,

of the Cleveland Clinic

Sarcoidosis can affect almost any organ in the

body, including the heart, skin, liver, kidneys, brain, sinuses, eyes, muscles,

bones, and other areas. Sarcoidosis most commonly targets the lungs and

the lymph nodes, which are an important part of the immune system.

Sarcoidosis that affects the lungs is called pulmonary sarcoidosis. Ninety

percent or more of people with sarcoidosis have lung involvement.

1

| Foundation for sarcoidosis research

In some cases, sarcoidosis can resolve itself without causing serious damage to

the body. However, for some people, the disease can be ongoing as well as cause

permanent damage to the body. For pulmonary sarcoidosis, some cases result

in permanent lung damage. Medical treatment may ease symptoms, improve

organ function, and limit damage to the body. However, treatments that work on

some patients may not on others, and often the drugs used in treatments can

cause other issues. More research is needed for additional treatment options.

Sarcoidosis can affect almost any

organ in the body, including the heart,

skin, liver, kidneys, brain, sinuses,

eyes, muscles, bones, and other areas.

Sarcoidosis can go into remission, a period when the disease no longer causes

symptoms or problems in the body. More than half of the people who have sarcoidosis

will experience remission within three years of their diagnosis, and two-thirds will

go into remission within 10 years of diagnosis. Sarcoidosis symptoms can return

after remission, but this is not common. Return of disease symptoms and activity

after one or more years of remission occurs in less than five percent of patients.

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