Severe fatigue affects more than 60% of pulmonary sarcoidosis patients and is associated with worse shortness of breath, daytime sleepiness, anxiety and depression, catastrophizing, functional impairments, and quality of life, according to a Dutch study. The research also showed similar findings for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF),…

A pile of boards and bolts stood before me as the first inkling of doubt crept in. Gathering what tools I could find — a small hammer and two old screwdrivers — didn’t boost my confidence. It was seven steps to creation. What it turned out to be was a…

Sarcoidosis patients who more closely follow their established treatment plans were found to have a significantly improved health-related quality of life, a new observational study shows. The study, “Association of Medication Adherence and Clinical Outcomes in Sarcoidosis,” which was published in the journal Chest, is…

Sarcoidosis affecting the spinal cord tends to result in distinct patterns visible on MRIs of the spine, which may help in properly diagnosing this disease type, a new study reports. The study, “Clinical and MRI phenotypes of sarcoidosis-associated myelopathy,” was published in the journal Neurology Neuroimmunology…

You are where you’re supposed to be — for now. Over the past three years, I’ve been dealing with the effects of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Having suffered multiple spontaneous pneumothoraces over a two-year period, I often wonder…

I spent the first hours of April poring through television news in the U.S. Not a single mention of Sarcoidosis Awareness Month for my efforts. I did see a bus advertising it roll by in the background of a live broadcast in Philadelphia. I smiled because that’s life with a…

I once heard an old man say that “a changed mind is a dangerous thing.” In the summer of 2017, I spent two months in the hospital due to spontaneous pneumothorax. My lungs are in pretty bad shape because…

Sarcoidosis, and the medications prescribed to patients with the disease, do not lead to worse outcomes from COVID-19 infection, according to preliminary results of a survey conducted by the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR). Though more participants are needed to confirm the results, the data are noteworthy…

I’ve been managing all right while being holed up alone since mid-March. But when I see my family and can’t hug them, I break inside. My mom worries, so twice a month I drive over and wait outside. From 6 feet or more, she mothers, telling me I should have…

An enzyme called chitotriosidase appears to be a reliable biomarker of sarcoidosis, a study suggests. The activity of this enzyme is correlated with sarcoidosis disease activity, severity, dissemination throughout the body, and may reflect the number of active granulomas within a given patient.