Sarcoidosis - Treatment

Treatment

There is no known cure for Sarcoidosis. Treatment is aimed at maintaining organ function and keeping the symptoms at bay


There is no known cure for this disease. As luck would have it, not many with the disease require intense treatment. The symptoms do not cripple an individual from going about their daily routine. They tend to disappear on their own.

Treatment is often aimed at maintaining organ function and keeping the symptoms at bay. The disease is considered dormant once the symptoms disappear. Symptoms vanish with treatment but may raise their head once treatment stops. Therefore long-term treatment, which may last for several years, is often required. Frequent monitoring is necessary to keep the disease in check.

Corticosteroids, such as Prednisone, are in the forefront of sarcoidosis treatment. They function by treating inflammation and by controlling granuloma formation. Permanent scarring of the lung (fibrosis) can never be treated.

In some individuals with sarcoidosis a high level of calcium can be detected through blood tests. This can often be reversed by avoiding calcium -rich food, sunlight and by taking prednisone.

Corticosteroids intake is accompanied by side effects. But if taken in low, prescribed doses, the benefits from the drug far outweigh the negative effects.

Some of the other drugs used to treat sarcoidosis include chloroquine, chlorambucil, D-penicillamine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, and azathioprine. These drugs have to be wisely used as none of them have been satisfactorily evaluated for their side-effects. They should not be administered to pregnant woman.

Recently, drugs such as Thalidomide and Infliximab have been used effectively in treating patients with Sarcoidosis.

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