What to Know About Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a rare inflammatory condition where the immune system overreacts, causing small clusters of inflamed cells—called granulomas—to form in different parts of the body. These can show up in the lungs and lymph nodes most often, but also in places like the skin, eyes, heart, or brain.

About 150,000–200,000 people in the U.S. are living with sarcoidosis, and around 27,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

There’s a milder type called Lofgren’s syndrome, which tends to improve on its own within 6 months to 2 years.

Unfortunately, the disease doesn’t affect everyone equally. Black women are 3x more likely to develop sarcoidosis than White women—and they often experience more severe symptoms, more hospital stays, and a higher risk of complications.

In the most serious cases, sarcoidosis can damage the lungs or heart and become life-threatening. One of the most common and frustrating symptoms is severe fatigue—which affects up to 70% of people with sarcoidosis and can be just as disabling as the disease itself.

How It Affects the Body

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes sarcoidosis, but it involves the immune system becoming too active and attacking the body’s own tissues. Depending on which organs are affected, symptoms can look very different from person to person.

When the lungs are involved, doctors use a system called the Scadding Stages (0–4) to describe how far the disease has progressed based on X-rays. You can still have serious symptoms at any stage—and the disease can move back and forth between stages over time.

Sarcoidosis can also show up in multiple organs at once. The skin and eyes are the next most common areas affected after the lungs. Some organs (like the liver or spleen) might not need treatment, but others (like the heart or brain) almost always do.

That’s why it’s important to check all parts of the body when someone is diagnosed.

Who’s at Risk?

Doctors believe both genes and environmental exposures play a role. If you’re genetically vulnerable and are exposed to something like mold, toxins, or infections, your immune system might respond in a harmful way.

You may have a higher risk if:

• You’ve been exposed to insecticides, mold, or dusty environments

• You are of African or Scandinavian descent

• You’re a woman between ages 30 and 50

• You have a family history of sarcoidosis

• You’ve taken medications for HIV or cancer

• You’ve been exposed to burn pits (common in military service)

• You’ve had certain conditions like lymphoma