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Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

For most people with sarcoidosis, the condition resolves on its own with no lasting consequences. But sarcoidosis can be long-lasting (chronic) in some people and lead to complications that may affect different parts of your body:

  • Lungs. Untreated pulmonary sarcoidosis can lead to irreversible damage to the tissue between the air sacs in your lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
  • Eyes. Inflammation can affect almost any part of your eye and can eventually cause blindness. Rarely, sarcoidosis also can cause cataracts and glaucoma.
  • Kidneys. Sarcoidosis can affect how your body handles calcium, which can lead to kidney failure.
  • Heart. Granulomas within your heart can interfere with the electrical signals that drive your heartbeat, causing abnormal heart rhythms and, in rare instances, death.
  • Nervous system. A small number of people with sarcoidosis develop problems related to the central nervous system when granulomas form in the brain and spinal cord. Inflammation in the facial nerves can cause facial paralysis.
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References
  1. Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2013:5 Books in 1. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-08373-7..00002-9&isbn=978-0-323-08373-7&about=true&uniqId=343863096-23. Accessed Oct. 31, 2012.
  2. Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191371208-2/0/1492/0.html#. Accessed Oct. 31, 2012.
  3. Baughman RP, et al. A concise review of pulmonary sarcoidosis. American Journal of Respiratory and Clinical Care Medicine. 2011;183:573.
  4. AskMayoExpert. What is the treatment for sarcoidosis? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
  5. AskMayoExpert. Is sarcoidosis considered an urgent situation? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
  6. AskMayoExpert. What are the clinical symptoms of sarcoidosis? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
  7. O'Regan A, et al. Sarcoidosis. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2012;156:ICT5:1.
  8. AskMayoExpert. If sarcoidosis is suspected, should the patient be referred to a pulmonologist? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
  9. Morgenthau AS, et al. Recent advances in sarcoidosis. Chest. 2011;139:174.
  10. AskMayoExpert. What clinical tests should be performed when sarcoidosis is suspected? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
  11. AskMayoExpert. What are the considerations for treatment of sarcoidosis symptoms? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
DS00251 Jan. 10, 2013

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