The Dreadful Disease Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis or sarcoid is a disease that affects the immune system. It is commonly seen in the young adults. It forms inflammatory nodules of small size called granulomas. The word sarcoid has been derived from two Greek words sark and oid which means flesh-like. It is also known by the name Besnier-Boeck disease. Any organ of the body can get affected by this disease. However, in most of the cases it affects the lymph nodes or lungs. It is considered to be an autoimmune disease. Peoples get completely cured in nearly all the cases.
Symptoms Of Sarcoidosis
The symptoms of sarcoidosis in most of the cases appear gradually while some exceptional cases show symptom suddenly. It can affect more than one part of a body but in many cases it is also restricted to one of the part of the body. There are many cases where the patients do not show any symptoms of the disease. The common symptoms of this disease are tiredness due to loss of energy and sleep, pains, weight loss, dry eyes, arthralgia, blurry vision, dry cough, wounds in skin and shortness of breath. Noduli and rashes to lupus pernio or nodosum can be the symptoms that are visible on the skin. If the brain, heart, liver or renal organs are infected then they will not function in the normal way. A person can become blind if this disease attacks the eyes. If it affects the nerves or brain then it is called neurosarcoidosis.
Cause Of Sarcoidosis
There were many researches but the cause of the disease Sarcoidosis had remained unidentified. The researchers consider that in some cases it is spread genetically. The change in the response of the immune system after being exposed to infectious agent causes this disease. A patient suffers from a state of hypo and hyper activity simultaneously which causes anergy. The chances of spreading the infection and vulnerability to cancer are increased by this anergy. TNF alpha is generally considered responsible for the disease. BTNL2 gene and HLA-DRB are also tested these days to identify the accurate cause of the disease. There were reports that suggested that organ transplantation also caused this disease. Thyroid problem can also lead to sarcoidosis greater in women than in men. This disease is related to celiac disease. In few cases, the disease has spread after a person has excessively inhaled dust.
Types Of Sarcoidosis
The patient of saroidosis rarely shows any symptom. The disease is mainly classified in two parts chronic sarcoidosis and Acute sarcoidosis. The patients who have symptoms of the disease for more a long time are said to have acute sarcoidosis and the patients who have sudden symptoms are said to have acute sarcoidosis. The lungs of the patient suffering from chronic sarcoidosis gets severely inflamed leads to short breath and coughing. A patient of acute sarcoidosis suffers from tiredness, joint pain, cough and fever. If the infection has affected the eyes then it becomes red in both the cases. Shins have tender lumps that are red in color.
Sarcoibosis Treatment:
Treatments are not required for most of the patients. Prednisone is the normally used Corticosteroids that are used for the treatment of this disease. it is not suitable for using in mild cases. The drug also has a lot of side effects for which it is prescribed in severe cases only. However, its effect has not been clearly identified. Methotrexate and azathioprine are also used. Though there are several treatments, none of them can be relied completely.
Advice For The Patients Of Sarcoidosis
There is no certified treatment of the disease. A person showing any of the signs of this disease should consult a doctor. A person who is vulnerable to hypocalcaemia should be careful in their diet. A person showing any of the signs of this disease should avoid Vitamin D and Sunlight.
