Many faces of sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a systemic, inflammatory, granulomatous disease of unknown origin that can involve any organ. More than 90 % of patients have thoracic sarcoidosis, which most frequently presents with bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy. In approximately 20 % of patients with thoracic sarcoidosis there is involvement of the lung parenchyma as well as mostly asymptomatic cardiac sarcoidosis in up to 55 % of patients. Most patients are asymptomatic and the diagnosis is an incidental finding on chest X-ray or during clarification of unspecific symptoms, such as fatigue or cough. In approximately two thirds of patients the disease undergoes spontaneous remission and in one third the disease follows a chronic or even progressive course. Furthermore, sarcoidosis can also be manifested in the abdominal organs, the central nervous system (CNS) and the musculoskeletal system. These manifestations are frequently subclinical and require targeted diagnostics when sarcoidosis is clinically suspected.