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Sarcoidosis symptoms will often get better on their own slowly without treatment.
Patients whose eyes, heart, nervous system, or lungs are involved may need to be treated with corticosteroids (prednisone or methylprednisolone). Therapy may continue for 1 or 2 years. The most severely affected patients may need lifelong therapy.
Drugs that suppress the immune system (immunosuppressive medicines) are sometimes also needed:
Rarely, some people with end-stage heart or lung damage may need an organ transplant.
Many people with sarcoidosis are not seriously ill, and the disease may get better without treatment. About 30 - 50% of cases get better without treatment in 3 years. About 20% of people whose lungs are involved will develop lung damage.
The overall death rate from sarcoidosis is less than 5%. Causes of death include:
Call your health care provider if you have:
Drake W, Newman LS. Sarcoidosis. In: Mason RJ, Broaddus VC, Martin Tr, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 59.
Iannuzzi MC, Rybicki Ba, Teirstein AS. Sarcoidosis. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:2153-2165.
Weinberger SE. Sarcoidosis. Goldman L, Ausiello D. Cecil Textbook of Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa:Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 95.
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