Question
(01/27/2011):
Hi, I
had sarcoidosis for 10-15 years.
I had
skin lesions, pulmonary scarring, and abdominal lymphadenopathy.
On one
occasion, I had surface vasculitis of the tops of my feet, apparently
from sun exposure, as we were vacationing at the beach.
My pulmonologist
says that my lung x-rays show complete resolution except for the scarring.
I forgot
to ask if I should still be getting eye checkups and watching for
other complications, or if I can consider this disease and its possible
complications to be completely in the past.
Thank
you!
Suzee
Answer:
Dear
Suzee,
You should
still be getting eye checkups and watching for other complications.
Sarcoidosis
can cause cataracts and glaucoma. However, this is rare.
The outcome
of sarcoidosis varies. Many people recover from the disease with few
or no long-term problems.
More
than half of the people who have sarcoidosis have remission within
3 years of diagnosis. "Remission" means the disease isn't
active, but it can return.
Relapse
(return of the disease) 1 or more years after remission occurs in
less than 5 percent of patients.
Poor
outcomes are more likely in people who have advanced disease and show
little improvement from treatment.
