Introduction
In principle, sarcoidosis granulomas can form in any human organ. The possible symptoms that affected patients show show a great variability. The variety of symptoms mainly concerns the chronic form of sarcoidosis. Most commonly, the lung and pulmonary hilar lymph nodes are affected, but liver, spleen, skin, other lymph nodes, muscles, eyes, heart muscle tissue, the central nervous system, bones, and tear and salivary glands can also be affected. Sometimes, sarcoidosis can be discovered by chance in a stage when there are no symptoms, when an x-ray of the thorax shows the swelling of the pulmonary lymph nodes.
Symptoms of Sarcoidosis
In 20% of cases of sarcoidosis, symptoms of obstruction of nasal breathing, i.e. an infestation of the upper respiratory tract, continue to occur. Affected lymph nodes are enlarged, of solid, rubbery consistency, easily movable and not painful. Approximately one in four sarcoidosis patients also suffers from changes in the eyes, the main symptom here being so-called uveitis, i.e. inflammation of the uvea, the middle skin of the eye.
Liver and spleen may be enlarged, if the heart is affected, cardiac arrhythmia may occur. The central nervous system can also be affected by granuloma formation, here a wide variety of symptoms can occur, e.g. visual and hearing disorders, depending on the exact location of the granuloma. All of these symptoms can occur in sarcoidosis, but the composition and ultimate expression of the individual symptom complexes usually varies considerably.
Particularly in the acute form of sarcoidosis, general symptoms often occur. These include a reduction in performance, fatigue and the feeling of exhaustion. Frequently, fever of up to over 38°C also occurs.
Likewise, about half of all affected persons experience joint pain, nausea and digestive disorders. Occasionally there is also weight loss, as the body is very strained by the disease and consumes a lot of energy. The lymph nodes play a major role in sarcoidosis, as they are mostly affected and enlarge.
Lymph node swelling is often the first sign of sarcoidosis. It is usually painless. The enlargement is often localized in the groin or armpit and may be palpable.
The lymph nodes in the lungs are also usually enlarged, which can be observed on an x-ray of the lungs when sarcoidosis is diagnosed. The following topic may also be of interest to you: Lymph node swelling – How dangerous is this? In contrast to acute sarcoidosis, chronic sarcoidosis has a gradual course.
This means that the disease goes unnoticed for a long time, as the symptoms are hardly present or absent for a long time. In chronic sarcoidosis, all organs can be affected, so the symptoms can vary greatly. In about 90% of the cases, the lungs are affected, but in chronic sarcoidosis, in contrast to the acute form, this is hardly noticeable.
Occasionally, irritable cough and shortness of breath can occur under physical stress. The lymph nodes are also almost always affected, which usually manifests itself in a painless swelling in the groin or armpit area. The eyes and skin are also more frequently affected in chronic sarcoidosis.
This often manifests itself in inflammation of the eyes with visual disturbances, pain and redness of the eye, as well as various skin rashes, especially on the lower legs or in the area of the face. But all other organs, such as the liver, kidneys, nervous system or heart can also be affected, causing different symptoms depending on the type of infection. The latter can lead to cardiac arrhythmia, for example. Our next topic could also be interesting for you: Inflammation of the eye – How dangerous is this?
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