Sarcoidosis treatment

What is sarcoidosis? It is a tissue infection that can appear in different parts of the body. It is largely an autoimmune disease.
As part of the sarcoidosis infection, small granulomas appear on the infected areas. Granulomas are clusters of cells that are immune.

It used to be a rare disease but now is a relatively common infectious disease.

It was first identified by Dr Jonathan Hutchinson from England and Dr Caesar Boeck from Norway. These were dermatologists who were working on this independently. Dr Boeck was responsible for the name sarcoidosis which means flesh like eruptions which are often caused by this disease.

Sarcoidosis is a condition that can affect anyone at anytime. It is often mistaken for other infections before ruling them out for sarcoidosis. It largely affects people in the age of 20 to 40 and rarely affects anyone under 10 or over 60. There are different theories on what causes it. Some doctors feel a virus causes the infections. Other researchers are of the opinion that allergens in the environment cause it. Some even believe it is an immunity affecting disease so it only affects some people of the population while the rest remain unaffected. Sarcoidosis can be acute, subacute and chronic.

One of the diseases caused by sarcoidosis is sarcoidosis of the lung. It is the most common kind of sarcoidosis. The infection would usually first crop up in the lungs. The symptoms of sarcoidosis of the lungs include coughing, dry and wet; dyspnea or shortness of breath and even the occasional chest pain. There can also be the onset of sudden rashes or more generic symptoms like weight loss, night sweats, fever, fatigue or a general feeling of ill health. A chronic form of sarcoidosis of the lungs leads to granulomas in the lungs causing pulmonary fibrosis. This could result in poorly functioning lungs and shortened capacity.

Symptoms of sarcoidosis in children often include eye disease. Symptoms of sarcoidosis of the eye include red, watery eyes, cataract, glaucoma and even blindness. Symptoms of sarcoidosis of the brain can be granulomas that appear on the spine cord, the brain and could lead to facial paralysis and other nervous system problems. Another symptom when sarcoidosis affects the brain is depression. The depression can happen due to the appearance of the granulomas on the brain, affecting its lobes. Additional symptoms of sarcoidosis in general include seizures, nosebleeds, hair loss, joint stiffness, red patches on the skin, dry cough and burning eyes.

The sarcoidosis prognosis is that it is not very serious and usually resolves in time on its own. In its prognosis, sarcoidosis produces few symptoms but can cause weight loss which can act as an indicator. Causes of sarcoidosis are largely unknown and its symptoms can appear and disappear without any apparent reason. It is not a crippling condition and the symptoms can disappear in about 36 months naturally without any treatment.

About 20 per cent of the patients with sarcoidosis of the lung disease usually have lung damage. Only about 10 per cent of patients become chronic. The skin eruptions settle down on their own but in some cases they darken and can get infected or become fibrotic. Once the inflammation reduces, the granulomas may stay or shrink. Occasionally it can also cause scarring. This is also called the non active phase of lung sarcoidosis.

Sometimes the granulomas can appear on vital organs like the kidneys, liver, heart or the nervous system. In such cases sarcoidosis can be terminal but this percentage is between 5 and 10 per cent of all the patients. Occasionally if the skin gets affected and the skin is marked by small, raised patches which are purplish in color. These patches can appear anywhere from the face, the limbs to the buttocks.

The symptoms could show up as anything, while in some cases a person may not even experience any symptoms. It is difficult to predict it. Sometimes the symptoms are of the organs affected. Sometimes the symptoms are general in nature. The symptoms can also vary based on how long the illness has been growing in the body, how much tissue is affected, where the granulomas have appeared and whether the granulomas are still appearing.

There is no particular treatment for sarcoidosis of the eye or lungs as the symptoms disappear on their own. It is difficult to determine a fixed treatment as the symptoms can resolve themselves. Genetics plays a role in how the body reacts to it but there is no pattern that has been established yet. Much about the disease is still unknown. Genetics tends to play an important role and people from the same family tend to get the disease. So far research has indicated that the African American develops the chronic and severe form of sarcoidosis while the Caucasian develops a milder form of the disease. If major organs are affected then these organs need to be treated.

Some drugs like corticosteroids are used to manage the infection. The lung scarring that could occur cannot be treated with drugs. Sometimes a high dosage of vitamin D and calcium has been known to impede treatment. If a blood test confirms high levels of calcium, patients could be asked to avoid calcium rich food along with sunlight. The prescription of steroids depends largely on how badly affected the various organs and systems are. The steroids can have its own set of side effects like high blood sugar, high blood pressure, acute water retention, stomach pain, ulcers and mood swings. Careful monitoring will help change medication and dosage. Melatonin has been used in some trial treatments of sarcoidosis with some amount of success. Oil of oregano has also been used in some treatments due to its anti inflammatory effect. There are many alternate treatments that being used world over in the treatment of sarcoidosis. You should consult your doctor before you attempt to use any of the sarcoidosis natural treatment options.

In order to diagnose sarcoidosis, other diseases like tuberculosis, farmer’s lung disease, rheumatoid arthritis, fungal infections and cancer of the lymph nodes are ruled out. Physical examinations, a detailed medical history and a chest X- Ray help diagnose this disease.