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434278 tn?1324706225

sarcoid question

Thank you Misty for your time and devotion to helping people in this support group forum.  

I currently am on Nexium (2xs/day), armour thyroid, plaquinel (for lupus), and vit D.  

I have had a dry cough for about 8 months.  Tried everything from sinus remedies to acid reflux medicine.  Recently had an appointment w/ an ENT who ran a scope down my nose (found severe acid reflux erosion - even on Nexium), a CT of sinuses (all clear there), and a chest X-ray (possible broncitus).  

My gynecologist seems to think I might have sarcoidosis.  Which test might help the dr. rule this out?  And is sarcoidosis related to autoimmune diseases?
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434278 tn?1324706225
I have read where most people don't even need treatment because it goes away in several years, while others need more aggressive treatment.  I've also read that it NEVER goes away.  It will attack various organs and turn into something ugly.

I have also read there are several blood test that can indicate sarcoidosis.
- ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme)
- elevated calcium
- Immune antibodies (immunoglobulins)

Do you agree w/ all of this.
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434278 tn?1324706225
Thanks for the info.  
Helpful - 0
570898 tn?1286202161
Sarc effects the eyes in the form of uveitis, which unfortunately, can be caused by several things.  Your eye doc will see inflammatory cells in the eye but will likely not be able to tell you what caused the inflammation.  

Honestly, if you wikipedia sarcoidosis, the vast majority of your questions will be answered.  I can describe the skin rash, but they have a pretty good picture there, which is much better than I could ever explain.

Lungs: Shortness of breath, dry cough, granulomas present on x-ray or CT.
Brain: Facial palsy is almost always the first symptom of this.
Cardiac: Irregular heart rhythm, chest pain, faiting.

Those are a few I know off hand.  Misc symptoms are vast and are general to sarc.  They include fevers of unknown origin, enlarged parotid gland (salvary gland on jaw bone), enlarged lymph nodes, elevated ACE levels in blood, severe fatigue, and more.  The list can go on and on really.  It's a pretty strange disease.
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434278 tn?1324706225
Thanks so much for your quick response.  

No, they only did a chest X-ray.  The CT was done of my sinuses.  After doing some research, it didn't take me long to realize it, as it is w/ all autoimmune diseases, is a difficult illness to dx.  The ENT did see something in both lungs.  He said it looked like bronchitis, but the radiologist didn't note any problems in the lungs.  

I understand it can affect the eyes too.  Can an eye dr. see something that would point to a dx?  Or are they eyes just generally inflammed.  

I know that the symptoms generally correlate w/ the organ that is involved, but what would be the symptoms of each organ involvement?  Also, could you describe the skin rash that is sometimes a symptom.
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570898 tn?1286202161
Sarcoidosis is an autoimmune disease and they have found (though not proven) links between different diseases.  Dry cough is certainly a symptom of sarc but they cannot diagnose by that.  Most often, sarc is diagnosed via biopsy of the inflamed tissues.  The inflammation is typically found in the lungs and lymph nodes first by a CT.  Did they find anything like this in your CT or did they do a chest CT?  If they only did a chest X-Ray, it may not have picked it up.  A chest CT is your best bet.  Unfortunately, you may still have sarc and not have inflamed lymph nodes or granulomas in your lungs.  That's why this disease is so hard to diagnose.  Good luck!
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