Nursing care and management of patients with sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a rare genetic autoimmune disease that can attack any organ and tissue type in the body. Although it has been recognized for over 100 years the aetiology remains unknown. The group most at risk is black females under the age of 40, but no group is immune to it. The disease is commonly asymptomatic at diagnosis and often resolves without medication; however, where it does manifest it can become chronic and can be fatal. Corticosteroids are the preferred treatment although there are alternative approaches. The disease can develop in different systems simultaneously, and sarcoidosis of the lungs, skin, eyes, heart, the central nervous and musculoskeletal systems are explored in this article. The practicalities of nursing are discussed, and the work of the nurse Imogene King (1981) is shown as a useful strategy to address chronic sarcoidosis.