Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about sarcoidosis. If you want to follow along with written notes on this topic,

you can follow along at zero definals.com slash sarcoidosis or in the respiratory section of the

zero definals medicine book. Let's get straight into it. Sarkoidosis or in the respiratory section of the zero definals medicine book. Let's get straight into it.

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous inflammatory condition. Granulomas are nodules of inflammation

that are full of macrophages. The cause of these granulomas developing is unknown, so it's not clear why people

with sarcoidosis develop these granulomas. It's usually associated with chest symptoms, but it also

has multiple extra pulmonary manifestations, such as erythema nodosum and lymphadenopathy. Symptoms can vary dramatically and patients can be

completely asymptomatic in up to 50% of cases to having severe and life-threatening signs and symptoms.

There are two spikes and incidents in people developing sarcoidosis. One is in young adulthood, and the second one is around age 60.

Women are affected more often than men, and it occurs more frequently in black people

compared to other ethnic groups.

A bit of a tom tip regarding spotting sarcoidosis in your exams.

The typical MCQ exam patient is a 20 to 40

year old black female patient presenting with a dry cough and shortness of breath. They might have

nodules on their shins, which suggest erythema no dosum. If somebody presents in your MCQ exams like

this, think about sarcoidosis.

Let's talk about the organs that are affected in sarcoidosis.

And really it can affect almost any organ in the body.

The most commonly affected organs are the lungs,

so sarcoidosis is usually managed by respiratory physicians,

and the lungs are affected in over 90% of patients with sarcoidosis. In the lungs, it causes mediastinal lymphadenopathy, so abnormally

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