Sarcoidosis Symptoms

Various factors affect the sarcoidosis signs and symptoms a person will experience, depending on the organ of the body that is affected by the disease. In general, symptoms include fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite. However, in many cases, symptoms of sarcoidosis never develop. If a person has general symptoms but no organ-specific symptoms, they most likely do not have sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis Disease

An Overview of Sarcoidosis Symptoms and Signs

Many people who have sarcoidosis have no apparent symptoms. Often, the condition is discovered by accident, only because a person has had a chest x-ray for another reason, such as a pre-employment x-ray.

Some people have few sarcoidosis symptoms; others have many.

Symptoms usually depend on which organs the disease affects. The organs that can be affected by sarcoidosis include the:

Lungs
Lymph nodes
Skin
Eyes
Heart
Muscles and joints
Bones
Liver
Parotid and other salivary glands
Blood, urinary tract, or kidneys
Pituitary gland.

Symptoms of Sarcoidosis in the Lungs

When sarcoidosis occurs in the lungs, symptoms can include:

Shortness of breath
A dry cough that doesn't bring up phlegm or mucus
Wheezing
Pain in the middle of the chest that gets worse when you breathe deeply or cough (this is rare).

Sarcoidosis Symptoms in the Lymph Nodes

When sarcoidosis occurs in the lymph nodes, symptoms include enlarged and sometimes tender lymph nodes. The lymph nodes most commonly affected are in the:

Neck
Chest.

Sarcoidosis can also affect lymph nodes in the:

Chin
Armpits
Groin.

(Sarcoidosis Symptoms Continued: Page 2)