Undertow
08-06-2008, 03:12 PM
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1511297/immune_disorder_strikes_young_adults/
Sarcoidosis--what's that? It's an immune system disorder that affects tens of thousands of Americans. Symptoms include a persistent cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, night sweats, weight loss, small red bumps on the face, arms or buttocks, red, watery eyes, and arthritis in the ankles, elbows, wrists and hands, according to the Mayo Clinic. Most cases are mild, but severe cases can cause scarring in the lungs, a complication that occurs in 20 to 25 percent of patients.
What causes it? Typically, our bodies fight perceived threats with an inflammatory response. With sarcoidosis, this response becomes excessive and ends up producing small clumps of cells that can cluster throughout the body. Large clusters can interfere with the functioning of organs, most commonly the lungs (more than 90 percent of cases), the eyes and the skin. In addition to lung scarring, it can cause serious eye conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma, or aching and swelling in the legs accompanied by arthritis.
Who gets it? This is primary an illness of adults in the 20- to 40-year-old range. African-Americans are more prone to the condition than whites (the incidence rate among blacks is 35.5 cases per 100,000; among whites it's 10.9 per 100,000). African-American women are twice as likely as African-American men to be struck with the illness
Sarcoidosis--what's that? It's an immune system disorder that affects tens of thousands of Americans. Symptoms include a persistent cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, night sweats, weight loss, small red bumps on the face, arms or buttocks, red, watery eyes, and arthritis in the ankles, elbows, wrists and hands, according to the Mayo Clinic. Most cases are mild, but severe cases can cause scarring in the lungs, a complication that occurs in 20 to 25 percent of patients.
What causes it? Typically, our bodies fight perceived threats with an inflammatory response. With sarcoidosis, this response becomes excessive and ends up producing small clumps of cells that can cluster throughout the body. Large clusters can interfere with the functioning of organs, most commonly the lungs (more than 90 percent of cases), the eyes and the skin. In addition to lung scarring, it can cause serious eye conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma, or aching and swelling in the legs accompanied by arthritis.
Who gets it? This is primary an illness of adults in the 20- to 40-year-old range. African-Americans are more prone to the condition than whites (the incidence rate among blacks is 35.5 cases per 100,000; among whites it's 10.9 per 100,000). African-American women are twice as likely as African-American men to be struck with the illness