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Sarcoidosis - Overview

Definición:

Es una enfermedad en la cual se produce una inflamación en los ganglios linfáticos, los pulmones, el hígado, los ojos, la piel y otros tejidos.

Causas:

Se desconoce la causa de esta enfermedad. En la sarcoidosis, se forman pequeñas masas de tejido anormal (granulomas) en ciertos órganos del cuerpo. Los granulomas son racimos de células inmunitarias.

La enfermedad puede afectar a casi cualquier órgano del cuerpo, aunque lo más común es que afecte los pulmones.

Las posibles causas de la sarcoidosis abarcan:

  • Respuesta inmunitaria extrema a infección
  • Sensibilidad alta a factores ambientales
  • Factores genéticos

La enfermedad es más frecuente en personas de raza negra que en los de raza blanca, especialmente en caucásicos de origen escandinavo. Las mujeres generalmente resultan afectadas con mayor frecuencia que los hombres.

El inicio de la enfermedad normalmente se da entre los 20 y 40 años de edad y es muy poco común entre los niños pequeños.

Una persona con un pariente consanguíneo cercano que tenga sarcoidosis tiene una probabilidad 5 veces mayor de padecer esta afección.

  • Reviewed last on: 6/2/2011
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Referencias

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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