The cause of sarcoidosis still remains unknown, so there is at present no known way to prevent or cure this disease. However, doctors have had a great deal of experience in management of the illness.

If you have sarcoidosis, you can help yourself by following sensible health measures. You should not smoke. You should also avoid exposure to other substances such as dusts and chemicals that can harm your lungs.

Patients with sarcoidosis are best treated by a lung specialist or a doctor who has a special interest in sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis specialists are usually located at major research centers.

If you have any symptoms of sarcoidosis, see your doctor regularly so that the illness can be watched and, if necessary, treated. If it heals naturally, sarcoidosis, or are suspected of having the illness but have no symptoms now, be sure to have physical checkups every year, including an eye examination.

Although severe sarcoidosis can reduce the chances of becoming pregnant, particularly for older women, many young women with sarcoidosis have given birth to healthy babies while on treatment. Patients planning to have a baby should discuss the matter with their doctor. Medical checkups all through pregnancy and immediately thereafter are especially important for sarcoidosis patients. In some cases, bed rest is necessary during the last 3 months of pregnancy.

In addition to family and close friends, a number of local lung organizations, other nonprofit health organizations, and self-help groups are available to help patients cope with sarcoidosis. By keeping in touch with them, you can share personal feelings and experiences. Members also share specific information on the latest scientific advances, where to find sarcoidosis specialist, and how to improve one's self-image.

For More Information

Additional information on sarcoidosis is available from a number of sources.

For information on current sarcoidosis research, write to:

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Division of Lung Diseases
5333 Westbard Avenue
Room 6A16
Bethesda, MD 20892

If you are interested in participating on NHLBI clinical studies of sarcoidosis, have your physician write to:

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Pulmonary Branch
9000 Rockville Pike
Building 10, Room 6D06
Bethesda, MD 20892

Information and publications for sarcoidosis patients and their families are available from:

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
9000 Rockville Pike
Building 31, 7A32
Bethesda, MD 20892

Sarcoidosis Family Aid and Research Foundation
460A Central Avenue
East Orange, NJ 07018

Many local chapters of the American Lung Association host support groups for sarcoidosis patients. The address and telephone number of the chapter nearest to you should be in your local telephone directory. Or you can write or call the association's national headquarters:

American Lung Association
1740 Broadway
New York, NY 10019-4374
(212) 315-8700