Ask an expert: What is sarcoidosis?
Q: My sister was just diagnosed with sarcoidosis in her lungs. I’ve never even heard of it. Could you please tell me about this disease, treatments available and if it’s an inherited condition? A: Sarcoidosis is an uncommon inflammatory disease that most frequently involves the lungs and lymph nodes, but can affect virtually any part of the body. Normally, our immune system defends our body against infections and other environmental dangers, but sarcoidosis is associated with abnormal activation of the immune system in the absence of an identifiable cause. Sarcoidosis causes a typical inflammatory pattern in affected tissues called “granulomas”. Granulomas are clusters of inflammatory cells that often form around foreign objects or in response to certain infections, such as tuberculosis. Thus, all other causes of granulomas have to be considered before the diagnosis of sarcoidosis is rendered.
