- Idiopathic systemic illness causing granuloma formation
- Can affect almost every organ system
- Blacks >> other racial groups
- Symptoms relate to development of granulomas in any organ system
- General: fever, fatigue, weight loss
- Pulmonary: recurrent/progressive cough, SOB, wheezing
- Neuro: can affect CNs, meninges, PNs (unexplained weakness and/or numbness), spinal cord, hypothalamus, muscles; seizures
- Eyes: decreased vision, pain
- Assorted unexplained skin growth
- Cardiac: CHF from infiltrative cardiac dz, syncope/sudden death from dysrhythmia
- Musculo-Skeletal: joint pain
- Often delays in dx as treated for asthma or other more common problems - with systemic nature of symptoms mis-identified as organ specific disorders
- Eyes: uveitis w/decreased vision, pain, redness
- Erythema nodosum→ erythematous, painful nodules--> often on legs
- Purplish-skin plaques/nodules on face (Lupus Pernio)
- Other skin findings: nodules, plaques, pappules
- Hepatomegaly, splenomegaly
- PNS (unexplained peripheral numbness, weakness) & CNS involvement
- Other organ infiltration
- Diagnosed by recognizing possibility and biopsy of affected organ, w/identification of non-caveating granulomas
- Imaging (e.g. CT chest, abd/pelvis) and other labs to assess organ involvement and r/o other causes
- Labs to r/o other causes (cancer, infection, HIV, other autoimmune)
- PFTs if lung involvement
- ACE levels with modest sensitivity and specificity (not definitive); Ca2+ sometimes elevated (elevated 1,25 -OH Vit D levels)