Sarcoidosis was a contributing factor in the death of comedian Bernie Mac, at the age of 50, Saturday, September 9, 2008. Mac died of complications from pneumonia. Although his Sarcoidosis is said to have been in remissions since 2005, it is an auto-immune disease all of which keep the body from fighting off illness and infection as a healthy body should.
A family scare with Sarcoidosis
I first heard the term Sarcoids, also known as Sarcoidosis, over two years ago when my brother-in-law was diagnosed with Sarcoids. He had several small lesions on his lungs. Lumps and inflammation of the lungs is one of the first indicators of Sarcoidosis.
The doctor said that they would need to go into my brother-in-laws lungs and remove the lumps to rule out cancer and confirm whether he had developed Sarcoidosis. At the time we had never heard of the disease the doctors were calling Sarcoids.
As it turns out, my brother-in-laws diagnosis of Sarcoids was wrong. The doctor’s best stab at a diagnosis, after several years, is Beryliosis, a worse diagnosis than Sarcoids.
What is Sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis is also known as Sarcoid, Sarcoids, Schaumann’s Disease, and Sarcoid of Boeck. The first indicator of Sarcoidosis is the presences of masses, called granulomas, usually in the lungs. The lumpy, granules are made of white blood cells.
Sarcoids is also known to move from the lungs into other parts of the body causing other organs to develop granular masses. Doctors believe the masses interfere with the normal function of the lungs and other body organs. The result is symptoms of an illness or disease often associated with that body organ. This can make the diagnosis of Sarcoids difficult.
Sarcoids can move to the liver, bone marrow, spleen, muscular and skeletal system, heart, salivary glands, and the nervous system.
Living with Sarocoidosis
Even those whose Sarcoidosis is in remission, there is always the knowledge, in the back of their mind that sarcoids can cause complications and granulomas in other body systems.
Living with sarcoids involves a close and constant relationship with your physician, which is usually a pulmonologist because sarcoids most commonly discovered in the lungs. As the disease spreads your primary care physician will involve other specialists as needed.
Symptoms of Sarcoids
One of the difficulties in diagnosing sarcoids is the different symptoms through which it may manifest. Symptoms depend on the organ or organs affected and the severity of the granulomas that affect the organ.
In severe cases the onset of symptoms can be sudden and acute. Symptoms include extreme, often overwhelming fatigue; fever; severe to mild muscle aches and pains; joint pain and swelling; difficulty breathing; and swollen glands.
Acute sarcoidosis can be persistent and painful causing a variety of disruptions to the bodies functions and symptoms. Subacute sarcoidosis is often unidentified for years, as it may manifest few or no symptoms.
Acute symptoms of sarcoidosis which took my brother-in-law to the hospital included fatigue, difficulty breathing, extreme pain in the lungs, and a persistent dry cough.
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Cause of Sarcoids
The cause of sarcoidosis is unknown. It is believed that the development of sarcoids involves genetic and environmental components. The immune system of a sarcoids patient is compromised. For an unknown reason white blood cells don’t do their job properly.
Although Bernie Mac did not die of sarcoidosis, his compromised immune system likely made pneumonia difficult to overcome.
*This is not a substitute for a medical opinion or diagnosis. If you suspect you have sarcoidosis or any other autoimmune disease consult your physician immediately.
Sources:
Moore, Frazier. “Actor, Comedian, and Exasperated Dad Dies at 50,” 2008, The Seattle Times Company, Entertainment. (A.P. writers F.N. D’Alessio, Daniel J. Yovich, Caryn Rousseau and Carla K. Johnson in Chicago contributed to this report.)
“Sarcoidosis,” WebMD.
