National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month

If you have been following my blog for awhile you will know that I am using this platform to highlight my story, the story of others and diseases that can impact us all in some way. April is now upon us which means new beginnings, a fresh start and hopefully spring for some of you. If you are in Michigan like me it’s looking more like winter with temps in the 30s and of course, snow. April is one of my favorite months regardless of what’s going on outside. Spring is my favorite season and of course, it’s the month that I was born in. I’ve always enjoyed celebrating my birthday and the countdown to my big day each year and so on. However, after a cancer diagnosis it seems I look forward to it even more. It’s just a reminder that I am still here and that I beat the odds.

With that being said, I have come to learn that in order to help others beat those odds whether its cancer or any other disease, we must bring awareness to it. So each month if there is a disease that impacts women in any way we will highlight it here. April is designated as National Sarcoidosis Awareness month. What is it you ask? Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that can affect multiple organs in the body, but mostly affects the lungs and lymph nodes. Sarcoidosis can also affect the skin, eyes, joints, liver, kidney, heart and other organs. In the United States the disease affects African-Americans 10 to 17 times more often than Caucasians. Generally, Sarcoidosis affects people when they are between 20 and 40 years old. The disease affects both men and women, although women are more likely to have the disease. Unfortunately the cause of this disease is unknown.

The most common symptoms are difficulty breathing, persistent dry cough, chest pain and fatigue. Sarcoidosis can affect every system of the body, the most common signs for the affected systems:


· Tender reddish bumps or patches on the skin



· Red and teary eyes or blurred vision



· Swollen and painful joints



· Enlarged and tender lymph glands in the neck, armpits and groin



· Enlarged lymph glands in the chest and around the lungs



· Nasal stuffiness and hoarse voice



· Pain in the hands, feet or other bony area due to the formation of cysts



· Kidney stone formation



· Enlarged liver



· Development of abnormal or missed beats (arrhythmias), inflammation of the covering of the heart (pericarditis) or heart failure



· Nervous system effects includes hearing loss, meningitis, seizures or psychiatric disorders (for example, dementia, depression or psychosis)

There is no one test or sign or symptom which clearly points to Sarcoidosis, because nearly all of the symptoms and laboratory results in Sarcoidosis also occurs in other diseases. Are you guys noticing the pattern? Typically there are multiples symptoms for different diseases and they are hard to pinpoint and certainly diagnose because the symptoms could be related to anything. This is why it’s important to go to the doctor and get checkups often. It’s also important to document anything that is not normal for you so you can bring it to your doctor’s attention. 

The tools used to diagnosis Sarcoidosis: Chest x-rays – to look for cloudiness (pulmonary infiltrates) or swollen lymph glands

 

· CT Scan – to provide an even more detailed look at the lungs and lymph glands than provided by chest x-rays.

· Pulmonary function (breathing test) to measure how well the lungs are working,

· Bronchoscopy – involves passing a small tube (bronchoscopes) down the trachea (windpipe) and into the bronchial tubes (airways) of the lungs.

Treatments generally fall into two categories – maintenance of good health practices and drug treatment.

 

Good health practices include:

· Getting regular check-ups with your health care provider

· Eating a well balanced diet with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables

· Drink 8 to 10, 8 ounce glasses of water a day

· Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

· Exercising regularly and managing and maintaining your weight.

· Stop Smoking!!!

Drug treatments are used to relieve symptoms and reduce the inflammation of the affected tissues. The oral corticosteroid, prednisone, is the most commonly used treatment.

 

Informaion found on the National Sarcoidisis Society Page: http://nationalsarcoidosisfriends.org/