Symptoms on the lungs

The organ most frequently affected in both acute and chronic sarcoidosis is the lung. Particularly in the acute form, this causes a pronounced irritable cough, which is often dry. Breathlessness also frequently occurs, especially under stress, which can be very restrictive for those affected.

Pain also occurs in the chest area. Many also describe a feeling of pressure with an unpleasant load in the chest area. In addition, there is swelling of the lymph nodes in the area of the lung root, which can typically be seen on a lung X-ray. In chronic sarcoidosis, on the other hand, the infestation of the lungs is often rather asymptomatic.This increases the risk of sarcoidosis being detected late, which sometimes happens only by chance. If symptoms occur in the chronic form, these are mainly a chesty cough and the occurrence of shortness of breath under physical exertion.

Symptoms on the skin

In sarcoidosis, the skin also frequently shows symptoms that can manifest themselves in various forms. In chronic sarcoidosis, the skin is affected in 20-50% of cases. Often the first skin symptoms appear before other organs are affected and can therefore be used as the first sign of suspicion.

A possible manifestation is the so-called erythema nodosum, a nodular reddening of the fatty tissue under the skin. This often occurs on the lower legs and is very painful when pressure is applied. Another form is lupus pernio, which affects the skin around the nose and cheeks.

In this case, reddish skin layers with small nodules form, which make the nose look bulbous, for example. Older scars can also be affected by sarcoidosis, which changes its color to bluish and causes the scar tissue to become inflamed. In the so-called Löfgren’s syndrome, a combination of three typical symptoms, erythema nodosum on the lower legs also occurs. Are you more interested in this topic? You can read more detailed information in our next article: Sarcoidosis of the skin – causes, symptoms and therapy