Methotrexate is a cytotoxic, or cell-killing, agent approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat various cancers, adults with severe psoriasis and severe rheumatoid arthritis. It may be used as a treatment option for sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease in which clumps of immune cells called granulomas…

Prednisone is a corticosteroid approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat many different conditions, including those affecting the skin, gastrointestinal tract, blood, eyes, nervous system, kidneys, lungs, muscles, and bones. It can be used to treat allergies, specific infectious diseases, and to prevent rejection…

CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil) is a medication marketed by Genentech and approved to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients (liver, kidneys and heart) by working to suppress the immune system. As an immunosuppressive, CellCept is also prescribed to treat such autoimmune and inflammatory diseases as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus nephritis (lupus…

Sarcoidosis is a rare inflammatory disease that can affect any part of the body. It is characterized by an overactive immune system that leads to the build-up of clusters of immune cells, called granulomas in different organs and tissues. These granulomas can prevent the normal function of organs and…

Sarcoidosis is a rare disease characterized by clumps of inflammatory immune cells, called granulomas, forming in different tissues and organs throughout the body. These can injure the tissue, causing permanent damage, and affect how the organs work. There is no cure for sarcoidosis, but the symptoms can be managed…

Imuran (azathioprine) is a cytotoxic (cell-killing) compound approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used to treat sarcoidosis in patients who are resistant to or cannot tolerate steroid treatments. Generic formulations of this treatment are available, and it is an alternative to methotrexate, which…

Löfgren syndrome is an acute but usually milder form of sarcoidosis, first described by the Swedish researcher Sven Löfgren in 1953. Like sarcoidosis, it is characterized by patches of inflammatory cells called granulomas in various organs and tissues. However, Löfgren syndrome patients usually do not develop long-term or…

The lungs are the organs most often affected by sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues and organs. In sarcoidosis, small clusters of inflammatory cells called granulomas accumulate in the lungs and elsewhere. In 20-30 percent of all cases, these granulomas can…

Mediastinoscopy is a minor, minimally invasive surgery that inspects the mediastinal area — the part of the chest cavity between the breastbone and the spinal column, just between the lungs. It is used to check for enlarged lymph nodes in the chest and determine their cause. Mediastinoscopy can…

Diseases affecting the lungs, such as sarcoidosis, impair a person’s ability to breathe well, lowering oxygen intake. Resulting low blood-oxygen levels often leads to a condition called hypoxemia. While not deadly, its symptoms are life-affecting, and include shortness of breath, headaches, and fatigue. Oxygen therapy uses compressed oxygen,…