Search Media Items

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are a group of more than 200 different disorders that cause scarring in the lungs. Scar tissue in the lungs can make it harder for you to breathe normally.

If you have been diagnosed with sarcoidosis, it is important that you continue your medicine, follow up with your doctor when directed, make healthy lifestyle changes, and prevent complications. Some people may achieve total, or life-long, remission. Other people may achieve temporary remission and go on to experience a relapse, or return of the disease. If you are pregnant, talk to your doctor about the medicines you take to avoid problems for you and your baby.

The goal of treatment is remission, a state in which the condition is not causing problems. Not everyone who is diagnosed with sarcoidosis needs treatment. Medicines used to treat sarcoidosis help reduce inflammation or suppress the immune system. Many people recover with few or no long-term problems.

Your doctor will diagnose sarcoidosis based on your symptoms, a physical exam, imaging tests, or a biopsy of an affected organ. The doctor will also do tests to rule out other diseases that have similar signs and symptoms.

Many people who have sarcoidosis have no signs or symptoms. Some people experience general signs and symptoms of sarcoidosis such as fatigue, fever, and weight loss. If inflammation continues, some people may develop permanent scarring, which can lead to life-threatening serious heart or lung complications.

Currently, there are no screening methods to determine who will develop sarcoidosis. If you are at risk for sarcoidosis, your doctor may recommend you try to avoid insecticides, mold, or other environmental sources of substances known to trigger the formation of granulomas.

You may have an increased risk for sarcoidosis because of your age, your family history and genetics, or your race. Some risk factors, such as occupation, can be changed. Most risk factors, such as age, family history and genetics, race and ethnicity, and sex, cannot be changed.

Sarcoidosis is a condition in which immune cells form lumps, called granulomas, in your organs. Inflammation is thought to cause granulomas to form and may also lead to temporary or permanent scarring at the site of the granulomas.