Sarcoidosis: Symptoms, Causes & Treatments!

Sarcoidosis is the development of abnormal inflammatory cells that grow into lumps called granulomas. This particular disease usually affects the lungs, skin & lymph nodes.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF SARCOIDOSIS

  • Fatigue & lack of energy
  • Weight loss 
  • Arthritis & muscle pain
  • Shortness of breath
  • Crackles heard from the lungs
  • Dry cough
  • Skin rashes of different types
  • Lupus
  • Skin lesions
  • Dry eyes
  • Cornea inflammation of the eye
  • Retina inflammation of the eye
  • Blurry vision or loss of vision
  • In women, inflammation of the breasts
  • Enlarged parotid gland
  • Increased levels of calcium
  • Low levels of RBC’s & WBC’s

COMPLICATIONS

  • Increase in blood pressure of the blood vessels surrounding the lungs.
  • Fibrosis of the lungs.
  • Heart block or irregular rhythm of the heart.
  • Cardiac sarcoidosis can lead to Congestive Heart Failure.
  • Scarring
  • Swelling of the optic disc.
  • Hearing abnormalities
  • Chronic meningitis
  • Disease affecting the nerves beyond the brain & spinal cord.
  • Injury to the spinal cord
  • Diabetes insipidus
  • In women, absence of menstrual cycle & a constant flow of milk from the breasts.
  • High calcium in blood & urine
  • Changes in the hormone secretion from the endocrine glands.
  • Enlarged liver & presence of lumps in the liver.
  • Abnormality & inflammation of the reproductive organs.
  • Swollen lymph nodes & lymphoma
  • Cancer of the blood
  • Arthritis of various kinds & tissues.
  • Cancer of various kinds.

CAUSES & RISK FACTORS FOR SARCOIDOSIS

  • Infectious causes like;
  • Some inflammatory bacteria
  • Fungi
  • Microbes that are derived from ticks
  • Most common theory is that sarcoidosis is caused due to Genetic factors & hereditary factors.
  • Presence of autoimmune disorders
  • Low immune profile
  • Age
  • Racial background
  • Certain drugs that can cause immune reactions in the body
  • Pesticides
  • Presence of other inflammatory conditions.

DIAGNOSIS

  1. Noting the physical symptoms & manifestations to categorize the condition.
  2. Blood tests for differential diagnosis & detecting presence of infectious bodies.
  3. Serum monitoring of Angiotensin Converting enzyme, which is the marker for sarcoidosis.
  4. CT scan or X-ray of the lungs is done to detect any abnormality in the lungs, similarly to detect presence of foreign bodies.
  5. Biopsy of the lungs is done for differential diagnosis of TB & pneumonia.
  6. Tissue biopsy of lymph nodes is done, for detecting presence if cancer cells, infectious bodies & drawing conclusions.
  7. Bronchoscopy, that is, viewing of the bronchi & lungs through a scoping device.

TREATMENT FOR SARCOIDOSIS

  • NSAID’s
  • Corticosteroids
  • Antibiotics
  • Anti-Cancer drugs
  • Monoclonal antibodies
  • Antimetabolites
  • Drugs that suppress the immune system.
  • Specific classes of drugs to treat disorders & manifestations arising from organs like liver, kidney, heart, spleen, etc.

PREVENTION & MANAGEMENT

There is no known way of preventing sarcoidosis. Possible steps that can be taken is avoiding environmental factors & risk factors.