Health Topics A-Z

How Do I Know If I Have It?

If your doctor suspects sarcoidosis, he or she will review your medical history, perform a physical exam, and most likely order chest X-rays and blood tests. In 90% of people with sarcoidosis, chest X-rays show abnormalities. Many patients also have a low white blood cell count. Your doctor may also order pulmonary-function tests, which measure how well your lungs are working. Tissue biopsies (tests on small tissue samples) may be done to look for other diseases, such as fungal infection or lymphoma (cancer of the lymph system).

What Are the Treatments?

Many people with sarcoidosis have mild symptoms and do not require any treatment. Often the disease gets better on its own over time. However, for patients with more pronounced symptoms, corticosteroid drugs, such as prednisone, are the recommended therapy. The main goals of treatment are to keep the patient comfortable by reducing symptoms and to maintain proper functioning of any affected organs. At this time, there is no treatment available to reverse the pulm

How Can I Prevent It?

There is no known way to prevent sarcoidosis.