Sarcoidosis - what is it?

Probably not everyone has heard of such a disease as sarcoidosis. What is this disease, you can learn from this article. Sarcoidosis is a fairly rare autoimmune disease of unknown origin, primarily affecting the respiratory system. At the same time, granulomas are formed in the body - pathological accumulations of immune cells that attack healthy tissues. Granulomas, as a rule, are formed in peripheral and internal lymph nodes, lungs, skin, eyes. Less often they are found in the kidneys, liver, heart, bones, skeletal muscles, brain, salivary glands. It is believed that the disease is more susceptible to women from 30 to 40 years.

Sarcoidosis. What is this disease and what are its symptoms?

The disease often occurs asymptomatically or with mild signs. Severe symptoms are rare. Sarcoidosis is characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations, which depend on the localization of the lesion.

Most often (in 90% of cases) the lungs are involved in the pathological process, therefore the main symptom of the disease is an increase in the intrathoracic lymph nodes. Some patients have no complaints, others may experience dry cough, fever, muscle weakness, shortness of breath during physical work, and severe lung damage (pulmonary disease, fibrosis).

Nodular erythema often accompanies such a disease as sarcoidosis. What are these signs? As a rule, skin manifestations, in which usually on the front of the shin dense, convex, painful when pressed nodes of crimson color. Nodular erythema is characterized by pain in the ankles and knees, with a pain in the joints first, and only a few days later there are nodes. The presence of such symptoms indicates the most favorable course of sarcoidosis.

When the disease can be affected by the eyes. In this case, granulomas are formed in the conjunctiva. As a rule, patients complain of soreness, dryness, redness of the eyes, impaired vision. Late diagnosed sarcoidosis is fraught with complete blindness.

Because sarcoidosis is a systemic disease, it can affect other organs. With kidney damage, urolithiasis develops, the heart - angina and heart failure, the pituitary gland - diabetes insipidus. Granulomas in the liver can not be manifested at all, sometimes cause its increase, while the organ functions remain.

Sarcoidosis. Stages of the disease

Based on the radiograph, three stages of development of sarcoidosis of the lungs are distinguished . On the first, bilateral hilar lymph nodes are noted. The second is characterized by an increase in lymph nodes and infiltration of the lung tissue without fibrosis. On the third, severe pulmonary fibrosis without enlarged lymph nodes is observed. The first and second stages often occur asymptomatically or have extrapulmonary manifestations, typical complaints, such as cough or shortness of breath, are absent.

Sarcoidosis. Diagnostics

The disease is determined with the help of a radiographic examination based on the characteristic blackout on the image of the chest. Granulomas are formed and with pulmonary tuberculosis, therefore, an additional can be taken for the removal of the affected tissue (biopsy), or a tuberculin skin test is put. As for the blood, the level of ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) was elevated in sarcoidosis.

Treatment

Usually, a pulmonologist doctor treats such an ailment as sarcoidosis. What is this treatment? Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the doctor determines by a series of tests whether the disease is in a favorable form or is active. With a favorable course of the disease, treatment is usually not required: spontaneous self-healing occurs in more than half the cases.

If the process does not go beyond the chest, this is considered a good sign. In the presence of erythema nodosum, the disease passes through 1-1,5 years. In other cases, recovery will take several years, sometimes it takes a lifetime to be treated. The prognosis is unfavorable if a serious violation of breathing has developed, kidneys, heart, brain, eyes are affected.

With the active form of the disease, corticosteroids are treated, which relieve pain in joints, dyspnea. In addition, cytostatics are used, which suppress the uncontrolled reproduction of immune cells.

Patients are advised to stop smoking and eating refined carbohydrates. Also, dairy products should be excluded, which is associated with an increased content of calcium and urine in the urine.