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Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: sarcoidosis + sarcoidosis: + 2,230,000  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

E! Online Immune disorder strikes young adults Chicago Tribune, United States - With sarcoidosis, this response becomes excessive and ends up producing small clumps of cells that can cluster throughout the body. ... Mac's condition unchanged: aide Chicago Sun-Times Rosie O'Donnell takes a break from blogging haiku Dallas Morning News Bernie Mac hospitalized Baltimore Sun Newsday - TransWorldNews (press release) all 393 news articles » Obama backers Bernie Mac and Morgan Freeman both hospitalized Los Angeles Times, CA - ... a Chicago native, says, contrary to internet rumors, Mac is not dead and is responding to treatment unrelated to his past diagnosis of sarcoidosis, ... Ottawa Citizen Bernie Mac, Applegate under the scanner Oneindia, India - He also has sarcoidosis from which has been on recovery from 2005 onwards. His condition has been described as 'very, very critical'. ... AssociatedPress all 976 news articles » Sideshow: Freeman seriously injured Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - 16 minutes ago She told the Sun-Times the pneumonia was not related to Mac's sarcoidosis, an inflammation that "produces tiny lumps of cells in various organs" and usually ... PSMB2 and RPL32 are suitable denominators to normalize gene ... 7thSpace Interactive (press release), NY - Jul 31, 2008 The analyses were validated in an independent BAL cohort from 63 sarcoidosis patients and 17 control subjects. A second derivative method was used to ... Is sarcoidosis treatable with prednisone? GoErie.com, PA - Jul 16, 2008 Q My son was just recently diagnosed with sarcoidosis and is being treated with prednisone. I understand that this is becoming more common in recent years ... KOIN.com ET has confirmed that Bernie Mac has been hospitalized in Chicago ... KOIN.com, OR - Aug 1, 2008 ... is not related to Bernie's diagnosis of the autoimmune disease sarcoidosis, which causes inflammation in such organs as the lungs and lymph nodes. ... 'Gossip Girl' tops Teen Choice Awards Inside Bay Area, CA - His illness is unrelated to his diagnosis of sarcoidosis, which has been in remission since 2005, she said. FORCE IS WITH THIS AUCTION: A "Star Wars" fan ... Mary-Kate All Clammed Up on Heath Death TMZ.com, CA - Smith says that the pneumonia was unrelated to Mac's chronic sarcoidosis, which has been in remission since 2005. Party Favors: Nas Keeps It Private in ... Asymptomatic stage-I sarcoidosis complicated by pulmonary ... 7thSpace Interactive (press release), NY - Jul 7, 2008 Case presentationWe present a case of a 67-year-old woman with undiagnosed asymptomatic stage I sarcoidosis for at least 8 years before her admission and a ...

Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a disease in which abnormal collections of inflammatory cells (granulomas) form in many organs of the body. These collections of cells are most often found in the lungs, but granulomas may also form in the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, eyes and skin. More rarely, they can form in the spleen, bones, joints, skeletal muscles, kidneys, heart and nervous system. Eventually, the granulomas may disappear completely or become scars.

Many people with sarcoidosis only discover that they have the disease during a chest X-ray that is ordered for another reason. Other people may have minor symptoms that do not worsen. It is rare that sarcoidosis causes serious symptoms.

Sarcoidosis can cause calcium to collect in the blood and urine because the granulomas produce activated vitamin D, which causes the intestines to absorb more calcium. High blood calcium levels lead to a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, thirst and excessive urine production. After a long time, high blood calcium levels may lead to kidney stones or calcium deposits in the kidney and, eventually, to kidney failure.

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• Aching joints
• Chest pain
• Enlarged lymph nodes that usually do not cause symptoms
• Feeling tired
• Feeling unwell generally
• Fever and night sweats
• Losing weight

• Eyes. In some people with sarcoidosis, parts of the inside of the eye become inflamed (swollen and tender), causing redness and difficulty seeing. If the inflammation continues for a long time, it may keep fluid from draining from the eye, causing glaucoma or eventual blindness. In some cases the granulomas may form in the membrane that covers the eyeball and the inside of the eyelids (the conjunctiva). Sometimes people with sarcoidosis have dry, sore and red eyes due to sluggish tear glands that are affected by the disease.
• Heart. Granulomas in the heart may cause chest pain (angina) or heartfailure.
• Joints. The swelling and tenderness can cause achy joints, especially in the hands and feet. Cysts that form in the bones can inflame nearby joints.
• Liver. Almost three out of four people with sarcoidosis have it in the liver. These often produce no symptoms or apparent changes in how the liver functions
• Nerves of the head. Sarcoidosis that affects the nerves of the head can cause double vision and make one side of the face droop. If the pituitary gland or the bones surrounding it are affected, diabetes insipidus may result. The pituitary gland stops producing vasopressin, a hormone needed by the kidneys to concentrate urine, causing frequent urination and excessive amounts of urine
• Skin. Over a long period of time, sarcoidosis may cause flat patches, raised patches or lumps just under the skin along with discoloration of the nose, cheeks, lips and ears.

The cause of sarcoidosis is not yet known. Some factors may be infections, an abnormal response of the immune system or genetics. It usually develops between the ages of 20 and 40. It is most common among Swedes and African American, although it can occur in anyone

To diagnose sarcoidosis, a doctor conducts a physical exam and take note of symptoms. A doctor bases a diagnosis on the distinctive changes that sarcoidosis produces, as well as information gained from:

• Blood tests to check for a low number of white blood cells or platelets, high immunoglobulin levels and liver enzyme levels, especially alkaline phosphatase. The level of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in the blood may be measured. In many people with sarcoidosis, ACE in the blood is high.
• Chest X-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans in which the lung tissue appears hazy like ground glass
• Examination of a sample of tissue that shows inflammation and granulomas. For most people, the best way to do this is with bronchoscopy and a biopsy of lung tissue taken from the bronchi. Tissue samples may also be taken from skin abnormalities, swollen lymph nodes that are close to the skin or the conjunctiva.
• Examining lung fluid to see if it contains a large number of lymphocytes
• Lung function tests may show whether the amount of air the lung can hold is less than normal
• The presence of enlarged lymph nodes
• A tuberculin test may be performed to rule out the presence of tuberculosis, which can cause many of the same types of changes as sarcoidosis
• A whole-body gallium scan is sometimes done when the diagnosis is not clear. A gallium scan shows abnormal patterns in the lungs or lymph nodes.
• The usefulness of these tests depend on the organs most affected by the sarcoidosis or in some cases how advanced it is.

Almost two out of three people with lung sarcoidosis improve without treatment. Even enlarged lymph nodes in the chest and extensive lung inflammation may disappear in a few months or years. If there are severe symptoms (such as shortness of breath, joint pain or fever), corticosteroids may be given. These drugs are also given if:

• Tests show high levels of calcium in the blood
• The heart, liver or nervous system are affected
• Disfiguring skin lesions are present
• The eyes are affected and not responding to eye drops with corticosteroids
• The lung condition continues to worsen

The success of treatment can be monitored with chest X-rays, CT scans, pulmonary function tests and measurements of calcium or angiotensin-converting enzyme levels in the blood. These tests are repeated regularly to detect relapses after treatment stops.