Sarcoidosis patients who are male or carry a genetic variation called HLA-DRB1*07 are more likely to have lymphopenia — low levels of white blood cells called lymphocytes — a known risk factor for more severe disease. That is according to a study, “Peripheral blood lymphopenia in sarcoidosis…

Despite advances in testing, fewer than one of every six people evaluated for suspected neurosarcoidosis — sarcoidosis affecting the nervous system — received a definite diagnosis of the inflammatory disorder, according to a 30-year study in Sweden. A confirmed neurosarcoidosis diagnosis in those cases was made only following a…

Bellerophon Therapeutics is working toward launching a new Phase 2 trial to test INOpulse, its experimental device for inhaled nitric oxide, in people who develop pulmonary hypertension as a complication of sarcoidosis (PH-Sarc). The announcement was part of a company’s clinical program update that stated…

About six months with Acthar Gel were associated with greater therapeutic benefits than a placebo in people with pulmonary sarcoidosis receiving standard-of-care therapies, including glucocorticoids, data from a Phase 4 trial show. The benefits were sustained in those who continued treatment in an extension phase and became evident…

Swelling of a specific vein in the brain may be a sign of neurosarcoidosis, a form of sarcoidosis that affects the nervous system, a new study suggests. “Incorporating this in the current diagnostic criteria may result in timely intervention, and we encourage radiologists to look for this marker in patients…

I was recently admitted to the hospital twice in one week. Apparently, I had started to develop subcutaneous emphysema, which occurs when air gets trapped under the skin. This can cause crepitus, a crackling sound produced by pushing on the air-filled tissue. In my case, it’s a result of…

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other word would smell as sweet.” — Juliet in William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” We’ve all heard those words before. Even those who slept through English lit class are familiar with one of the most famous lines from…

The risk of sarcoidosis is significantly reduced in people who smoke cigarettes and may be increased in people who are obese, a study in Sweden suggested. While these findings are consistent with some previous studies, more research is needed to confirm them, the researchers noted in “Modifiable lifestyle…

April 15, 1994: On that day, my life was changed with the passing of my mother. Joyce Ann Monroe Harris was just 50 years old when she died, a bit younger than I am today. That was 29 years ago! It seems like a lifetime. I can’t even begin to…

A lung bleeding condition called diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) may develop secondary to sarcoidosis more frequently than previously reported, a small study suggests. Considering the frequency of DAH associated with sarcoidosis reported in the study, “it is essential to consider sarcoidosis in the differential diagnosis of immune-mediated DAH,” the researchers…