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Skin Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a multiorgan disease that results from a specific type of tissue inflammation in the body. Anyone at any age can get sarcoidosis and, as of October 2010, the cause of the disease is unknown. Sarcoidosis can affect a large number of organs, including the skin.

  1. General Symptoms

    • Sarcoidosis is a disease that causes masses of inflamed tissue to form on various organs in the body and affects patients in a variety of ways. Some have no adverse symptoms, while others have several symptoms including weight loss, night sweats, fatigue and skin lesions. Sarcoidosis most frequently affects the skin, eyes, lymph nodes and liver.

    Effects on Skin

    • When sarcoidosis affects the skin, it can result in rashes or skin lesions. Erythema nodosum causes raised, red, tender bumps to form on the skin, and is a common type of skin lesion that occurs as a sarcoidosis symptom. In rare cases, patients may develop hard red-purple bumps on the face called lupus pernio; this type of skin lesion is usually associated with chronic sarcoidosis. In some cases, patients may also develop calcium deposits in the skin or a thickening of old scars. Sarcoidosis of the skin is usually a prolonged symptom and tends to resolve over months or years.

    Skin Treatments

    • Most sarcoidosis patients require no treatment at all. However, for painful skin lesions, patients can take a corticosteroid to reverse adverse effects. Topical corticosteroids can be effective with skin lesions in particular. Thalidomide is another drug that has sometimes helped to improve and heal skin lesions, but as of 2010, it is still in the experimental stages of drug testing.

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