SARCOIDOSIS (Besnier-Boeck-Schaumann disease)
Sarcoidosis is characterized in about 90 percent of patients with granulomatous inflammation of lungs with unknown etiology. Sarcoidosis is more frequently affects women than men.
Sarcoidosis affected patients have fever, malaise, dyspnea of insidious onset. Symptoms from skin involvement like erythema, nodosum, lupus pernio, and other are iritis, peripheral neuropathy, arthritis, and cardiomyopathy.
Some patients are asymptomatic and get medical treatments after abnormal diagnosis like typical bilateral Hilar, and right paratracheal lymphadenopathy on chest radiography. Other symptoms are Hepatosplenomegaly, parotid gland enlargement and lymphadenopathy.
RADIOGRAPHIC DIAGNOSIS
In stage I Findings are bilateral hilar Adenopathy.
In stage II Findings are hilar Adenopathy. and parenchymal involvement.
In stage III Findings are parenchymal involvement is usually manifested radiographically by diffuse reticular infiltrates, acinar shadows, nodules, and rarely cavitation may be seen.
In stage IV Findings are advanced fibrotic changes in upper lobes.
Sarcoidosis diagnosis requires histologic demonstration of noncaseating granulomas in biopsy. Other granulomatous disease like berylliosis, tuberculosis, fungal infections and lymphoma are must be excluded.
TREATMENT
Treatment with oral corticosteroids like prednisone includes disabling constitutional symptoms, hypercalcemia, iritis, uveitis, arthritis, central nervous system involvement, cardiac involvement, cutaneous lesions, granulomatous hepatitis, erythema nodosum, progressive pulmonary lesions.
Long term therapy requires months to years. Immunosuppressive drugs like methotrexate, azathioprine, or infliximab are given to those patients who can not take corticosteroids (intolerance) or who have corticosteroids refractory disease.
For Informational purpose only. Consult your Physician for advice.
