Sarcoidosis

Lungs: Shortness of breath, wheezing or dry cough that may disappear over time.

Eyes: Burning, itching, tearing, redness, sensitivity to light, dryness, seeing black spots, blurred vision, reduced color vision, and, in rare cases, blindness.

Skin: Bumps, ulcers, or rarely, flat areas of discolored skin that appear mostly near the nose or eyes or on the back, arms, legs and scalp. Painful and tender bumps can also appear on the ankles and shins.

Bones and Joints: Bone lumps (nodules), causing pain in the hands and feet and sometimes pain and swelling in the ankles or other joints

Heart: Shortness of breath, swelling in the legs, wheezing, coughing, and chest pain. One may have a feeling of an irregular or fast heart beat at times, or even pass out without warning.

Salivary Glands: Swelling (which may make the cheeks look puffy) and an overly dry mouth and throat.

The Nervous System: Headaches, vision problems, weakness or numbness of an arm or leg, drooping of one side of the face, loss of movement in the arms or legs, weakness, pain or a “pins and needles” feeling.

Medical history and physical exam to look for signs of sarcoidosis and rule out other diseases.

A chest X-ray and CT scan to look for enlarged lymph nodes and small round spots in the lungs

Pulmonary function tests to give an indication of how well the lungs work

A tissue biopsy—taking a small piece of tissue to examine under a microscope to look for signs of disease. In the lung, this is usually done through the airways using a proceedure called bronchoscopy.

Blood tests such as ACE, liver and kidney function tests

Eye examination

In many cases, sarcoidosis is mild. It makes a brief appearance, and then the granulomas may stop growing or shrink. Symptoms may go away within a few years without treatment.

In the moderate form of sarcoidosis, inflammation remains but does not worsen. People with moderate sarcoidosis may have symptoms or flare-ups and only need treatment at times.

The severe form of sarcoidosis slowly worsens over a period of years, and can cause permanent organ damage. Treatment can help, but the disease may still leave scar tissue in the lungs, skin, eyes or other organs. Between 20 and 30 percent of people with pulmonary sarcoidosis end up with permanent lung damage. For some patients, sarcoidosis can become chronic, lasting for many years.