Sarcoidosis

The word inflammation comes up a lot in the world of medicine…and it usually leads to something unpleasant that your body has to go through in order to get back into tip-top shape again.  Sarcoidosis is an example of this because it is an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs throughout the body.  In most cases though, the lungs and lymph glands are the areas that are mostly affected. 

Individuals who are diagnosed with sarcoidosis have abnormal masses or nodules, medically referred to as granulomas, which consist of inflamed tissues that develop to make themselves at home in certain organs of the body.  These granulomas will go on over time and could possibly alter the normal structure and function of the organ they have chosen to affect. 

Symptoms of sarcoidosis can vary greatly due to the many different organs that could possibly be involved.  However, the most frequent initial complaints by individuals consist of having a persistent dry cough, experiencing fatigue, and expressing complaints of shortness of breath.  Keep in mind that in some individuals, symptoms of sarcoidosis could begin suddenly and/or be severe, then subside in a short time period.  Others may have no symptoms at all despite organ involvement, and some individuals may have symptoms that present themselves slowly and last or recur over an extended period of time.  More symptoms of sarcoidosis may include the following:

-  Tender bumps or patches on the skin that appear with an increase in redness

-  Teary, red eyes or blurry vision

-  Swollen and painful joints

-  Enlarged and tender lymph glands in the neck, armpits (axilla), and groin

-  Enlarged lymph glands in the chest and around the lungs

-  Hoarse voice

-  Pain in the hands, feet, or other bony areas as a result of cysts forming in bones

-  Kidney stones

-  Enlarged liver

-  Abnormal heart rhythm

-  Heart failure

-  Hearing loss

-  Meningitis

-  Seizures

People between the ages of 20 and 40 are generally who sarcoidosis most often occurs in, with women being diagnosed more frequently than men.  The exact cause of this condition and what triggers it is not known.  However, it is known that sarcoidosis is an autoimmune disease associated with an abnormal immune response where the body begins to fight itself.  As far as diagnosing this disease goes, there really isn’t a single way to rule it out.  Since many of the signs and symptoms of sarcoidosis could also occur in a variety of other conditions, your provider will have to carefully review all parts of your medical history and perform several diagnostic tests during your examination, which may include:

·         Chest x-ray.  This will be completed to look for cloudiness in your lung fields or any swollen lymph nodes.

·         CT scan.  This scan will provide an even more detailed look at your lungs and lymph nodes than is provided by a chest x-ray in order to further examine your chest cavity.

·         Pulmonary function tests.  This group of tests will give your provider further insight to measure how well your lungs are functioning.

·         Bronchoscopy.  This exam will be completed to inspect your bronchial tubes and to extract a small biopsy (a small sample of tissue) to determine the presence of any granulomas and to rule out any possible infection.  A bronchoscopy simply involves passing a small tube down into the trachea and further down into the bronchial tubes, or the airways of your lungs.

Treatment of sarcoidosis will be prescribed to ease symptoms and maintain the proper functioning of your organs.  Therefore, if you are ordered a treatment regimen it will depend upon your symptoms and the extent to which any of your organs are involved.  There is not definitive cure for this disease.  However, you may take comfort in knowing that sarcoidosis has the ability to possibly get better on its own over time.  Many individuals affected only have mild symptoms and do not require any sort of treatment.  Generally, if treatments are ordered by your provider they will involve maintenance of good health practices and/or treatment with medications.  The goal of any medications prescribed to you with sarcoidosis will be to relieve your symptoms and reduce any inflammation of the tissues that are affected.  Prednisone is an oral medication that is most commonly used as treatment.  Plus, good health practices to be familiar with include:

-  Attending regular check-ups with your provider

-  Consuming a well-balanced diet

-  Staying hydrated by drinking water every day

-  Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night

-  Regular exercise

 - Quit smoking, or do not start smoking

The professionals at Total Home Health will work in a close relationship with your provider and abide by your treatment plan in order to maintain your symptoms at a tolerable level so that they will not affect your daily activities.  Our attentive staff will be tuned in to your normal functioning levels and report any changes to your provider at their first inclination in order to continually fine tune your care so that you may go about your normal routine without any doubts or interruptions.  Let us help you with your new routine in order to manage your sarcoidosis symptoms, enroll today with Total Home Health!