Sarcoidosis: A life of no Having sarcoidosis means I must say no to many things. That is why when Cinco de Mayo rolled around last week, I was sitting in while my friends did their part to keep Americans in the lead for tequila consumption. They tried to…

Sarcoidosis 101 Have you ever tried to explain sarcoidosis to someone? First, you have to phonetically walk them through the funny-sounding pronunciation. If you still have their attention after that, it’s usually gone by the time you hit the term “granuloma.” After being shellshocked by a sarcoidosis diagnosis,…

During April, National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month, the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) is promoting the use of cardiac imaging to non-invasively assess changes in patients’ heart tissue and overall cardiac function. Sarcoidosis is marked by an overreactive immune system and the resulting formation of small clumps of inflammatory…

Some 87 buildings, landmarks, and businesses in the U.S. and Canada turned purple April 13 in an attempt to help raise awareness about sarcoidosis during Sarcoidosis Awareness Month. The initiative is called “Illuminate the Night: Shine a Light on Sarcoidosis,” and was begun by the nonprofit Foundation…

I was an average woman in my early 30s, married with two young stepsons, working a full-time job in healthcare sales and marketing. My husband and I had recently purchased our first home. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends and led a healthy lifestyle. Then one day, I…

The American Lung Association and Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research are working together during April’s Sarcoidosis Awareness Month to offer U.S. sarcoidosis patients and caregivers additional support, making available in-person support groups and online tutorials by specialists. As part of the activities of Sarcoidosis Awareness Month, the associations welcome…

The thing that attracted me to a career as a journalist — the unpredictability — is precisely what I despise most about living with a chronic illness. Over my nearly 17 years battling sarcoidosis, I’ve had good and bad days, and others that have fallen somewhere in between. I…

Patients with advanced sarcoidosis have limited daily life physical activity, mostly because their lungs’ maximal oxygen uptake is reduced, a study shows. The findings of the study, “Daily life physical activity in patients with chronic stage IV sarcoidosis: A multicenter cohort study,” were published in the journal Health…

Fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom by sarcoidosis patients in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, according to a survey conducted by researchers from those countries. Nerve damage-related symptoms are a close second. The study, “The Burden of Sarcoidosis Symptoms from a Patient Perspective” was published in the journal…

A study reporting the case of a sarcoidosis patient infected with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi highlights the importance of maintaining an increased awareness about potential infectious conditions, such as Lyme disease, in patients with new onset of sarcoidosis. The case study, “Systemic Sarcoidosis Associated with Exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi in a…