1. (NU) - Sponsored News - Sar-
coidosis may be a new term for
you, but for the more than
200,000 people in the U.S. who
are living with the condition, it
is a frustrating struggle.
The condition has been ac-
knowledged for more than 150
years and has impacted several
well-known people, including
Bernie Mac, Reggie White, Evan-
der Holyfield, Tisha Campbell-
Martin and Daisy Fuentes. Yet lit-
tle is known about sarcoidosis,
including the cause, typical symp-
toms or disease progression.
Sarcoidosis is an inflammato-
ry disease where the immune sys-
tem goes into overdrive, causing
cells to group together into
clumps called granulomas. When
too many granulomas form on an
organ, they can interfere with its
function. Sarcoidosis can impact
any organ; however, the lungs and
lymph nodes are affected in more
than 90 percent of cases.Although
anyone can develop the disease,
it is most common among people
between the ages of 20 and 40,
and occurs more frequently
among African-Americans and
people of Scandinavian descent.
Since each case of sarcoido-
sis is unique, the CHEST Foun-
dation of the American College
of Chest Physicians and the
Foundation for Sarcoidosis Re-
search (FSR) have teamed up to
create Sarcoidosis: Seek An-
swers. Inspire Results., a cam-
paign that encourages people liv-
ing with sarcoidosis to take a
proactive role in their treatment
and spread awareness to those
who might be at risk.
“Diagnosing sarcoidosis can
be a long and frustrating process
for patients,” said Doreen J. Ad-
drizzo-Harris, MD, FCCP and
trustee of the CHEST Foundation
board. “Symptoms of sarcoidosis
can often mimic those of other
diseases, such as cancer or arthri-
tis, resulting in misdiagnosis or
unnecessary treatment. If symp-
toms are present, it is important
to weigh the possibility of sar-
coidosis, and the educational re-
sources available at www.chest-
net.org/sarcoid can help.”
Common symptoms include:
1. Fever, fatigue, weight loss,
night sweats and an overall feel-
ing of ill health.
2. A persistent cough, short-
ness of breath and chest pain.
3. Enlarged lymph nodes --
most often located in the neck, but
they can also be under the chin, in
the armpits or the groin area.
With good medical care, most
cases of sarcoidosis are not severe
and do not cause lasting damage
to the body. However, 30 to 40
percent of cases have a persistent
condition that may require treat-
ment to control symptoms.
For more information and to
download sarcoidosis resources
-- including patient and provider
toolkits -- please visit www.chest-
net.org/sarcoid or www.stopsar-
coidosis.org/awareness.
Get to Know Sarcoidosis:A
Complex, Misunderstood Disease
HEALTH
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