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Sarcoidosis
From WikEM
Contents
Background
- Abnormal collection of inflammatory cells (grandulomas) throughout the body.
- Most common location for granulomas to occur are the lung, skin, heart, and brain.
- Exact cause unknown - thought to be related to an immune reaction to a prior insult such as infection or chemical exposure earlier in life.
- Do not confuse with infectious granulomatous processes such as tuberculosis.
Clinical Features
Depend on location of granulomata. May be entirely asymptomatic.
- Respiratory
- Due to pulmonary granulomata
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Pulmonary abscesses/empyema
- Pneumothorax
- Erythema nodosum and other skin lesions
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Arthralgias
- Cardiopulmonary
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
- Arrythmias due to conduction disturbance
- Endocrine
- Ocular
- Dacryoadenitis (lacrimal duct inflammation)
- Optic neuritis
- Iritis
Differential Diagnosis
- Malignancy
- Tuberculosis
- Coccidioidomycosis
- Histiocytosis X
- Wegener's granulomatosis
- Churg-Strauss syndrome
- Lupus
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
Workup
Management
Disposition
See Also
External Links
References
Authors
Anthony Lucero, Claire, Vincent Chan, Michael Holtz, Daniel Ostermayer, Neil Young
