Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease. It starts as tiny, grain-like lumps called granulomas, which most often appear in your lungs or lymph nodes. They can clump together and form larger lumps that attack other organs. Sarcoidosis often affects your skin, eyes or liver.
Sarcoidosis may be mild, or it can be severe and do lasting damage. It does not always cause symptoms, so you can have it without knowing it. Symptoms vary, depending on which organs are affected.
No one is sure what causes sarcoidosis. It affects men and women of all ages and races worldwide. However, it occurs mostly in people ages 20 to 40, African Americans, especially women, and people of Asian, German, Irish, Puerto Rican and Scandinavian origin.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Sarcoidosis(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/320.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/articles/320.printerview.html
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Sarcoidosis
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/sarc/sar_whatis.html
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Sarcoidosis
(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/sacroidosis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/sacroidosisspanish/htm/index.htm
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JAMA Patient Page: Sarcoidosis(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/296/17/2166.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/296/17/2166/DC1/1
- Sarcoidosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sarcoidosis/DS00251/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ace/test.html
- Calcium Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/calcium/test.html
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Chest X Ray(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cxray/cxray_whatis.html
- Diagnosis of Sarcoidosis(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/sarcoidosis/diagnosis.htm
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Lung Function Tests(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/lft/lft_whatare.html
- Symptoms of Sarcoidosis(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/sarcoidosis/symptoms.htm
- Treatment for Sarcoidosis(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/sarcoidosis/treatment.htm
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Neurosarcoidosis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/neurosarcoidosis/neurosarcoidosis.htm
- Sarcoidosis and the Body(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - Large PDF file - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/sarcoidosis/FSR_bodybroc.pdf
- Sarcoidosis and the Heart (Cardiac Sarcoidosis)(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/sarcoidosis/cardiac.htm
- Talking to Your Doctor about Sarcoidosis(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/patientresources/doctor.htm
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Sarcoidosis(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/sacroidosis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/sacroidosisspanish/htm/index.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Sarcoidosis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Sarcoidosis%22
- Sarcoidosis Research News(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/news/researchnews.htm
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Renal sarcoidosis: clinical, laboratory, and histologic presentation and outcome in... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19282700&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Association of Sweet's syndrome and acute sarcoidosis: report of a... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19187300&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Up-to-date in pulmonary and extrapulmonary sarcoidosis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19170359&tool=MedlinePlus
- Sarcoidosis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=sarcoidosis[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary of Common Sarcoidosis Medical Terms(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/sarcoidosis/glossary.htm
- Find a Sarcoidosis Specialist(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/patientresources/findspecialist.htm
- Sarcoidosis Support: Directory of U.S. Support Groups(Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) - http://www.sarcoidlife.org/
- American Lung Association - http://www.lungusa.org/
- Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research - http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- Lungs and Breathing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungsandbreathing.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Sarcoidosis is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/