Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs in the body, but mostly the lungs and lymph glands.

In people with sarcoidosis, abnormal masses or nodules (called granulomas) consisting of inflamed tissues form in certain organs of the body. These granulomas may alter the normal structure and possibly the function of the affected organ(s). Sarcoidosis most often occurs between 20 and 40 years of age, with women being diagnosed more frequently than men.

The disease is 10 to 17 times more common in African-Americans than in Caucasians. People of Scandinavian, German, Irish or Puerto Rican origin are also more prone to the disease. It is estimated that up to 4 in 10,000 people in the U.S. have Sarcoidosis.

Early symptoms include inflammation, shortness of breath (dyspnea), Hypoxemia, fatigue, low SaO2, and coughing.