Sarcoidosis

Overview :

Sarcoidosis is a very puzzling disorder. In addition to having no clear-cut understanding of the cause of sarcoidosis, researchers are also puzzled by its distribution in the world population. In the United States, for example, 10-17 times as many African-Americans are affected as white Americans. In Europe, whites are primarily affected.

Prevalence is a way of measuring the number of people affected per 100,000 people in a given population. The prevalence figures for sarcoidosis are very unusual. In the United States, prevalence figures range from five (5/100,000 in the United States) for whites to 40 for blacks. In Europe, prevalence ranges from three in Poland, to 10 in France, to 64 in Sweden, to 200 for Irish women living in London. Furthermore, a person from a group with very low prevalence who leaves his or her native land for a second location with a higher prevalence will then have the same risk as anyone living in that second location.

Sarcoidosis affects both men and women, although women are more likely to have the disorder. The average age for diagnosis is around 20-40 years.