This glossary of sarcoidosis terms has been compiled to aid
those who have been diagnosed with sarcoid to understand the often medically-oriented terminology
that is used in discussions of the disease. If you don't find the word you are seeking in this list,
try this glossary of terms relating
to sarcoidosis that was written by a well-known sarcoidosis specialist, Dr. Om Sharma. The definitions
provided there are written for the average layperson to understand.
- ALLERGEN
- A substance (antigen) capable of producing immediate-type hypersensitivity (allergy).
- ALVEOLITIS
- Inflammation of the alveoli.
- ALVEOLUS
- Tiny sac-like space; pulmonary alveoli are tiny sac-like spaces in the lung where gas exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.
- ANERGY
- 1) Lack of energy. 2) diminished reactivity to all antigens.
- ANTIBODY
- A substance which reacts only to the antigen that is responsible for its production in the cells or to a closely related antigen.
- ANTIGEN
- Any substance which is capable, under certain conditions, of inducing a specific immune response and of reacting with the products of that response, specific antibodies and/or t-lymphocytes.
- ARTHRALGIA
- Pain in a joint; polyarthralgias are joint pains affecting two or more joints.
- ASYMPTOMATIC
- Showing or causing no symptoms.
- AUTOIMMUNE
- Pertaining to a condition characterized by a specific immune response against constituents of the body's own tissues.
- BILATERAL HILAR (LYMPH)ADENOPATHY
- Refers to the enlargement of the depression of a lymph gland where the vessels and nerves enter, occurring on both sides.
- BIOPSY
- The removal and examination of tissue from a living body.
- BRONCHOSCOPE
- An instrument used to inspect the interior of the tracheobronchial tree (the trachea and the bronchi in the lungs); bronchoscopy refers to the actual examination procedure.
- CHRONIC
- Persisting over a long period of time.
- CORNEA
- The transparent structure forming the front part of the fibrous covering of the eye.
- CORTICOSTEROIDS
- 21-carbon steroids compiled by the adrenal cortex, but excluding the sex hormones of adrenal origin that we associate with steroid use by athletes; clinically corticosteroids are used for hormonal replacement therapy, for suppression of ACTH secretion by the anterior pituitary, as antineoplastic, antiallergic, and anti-inflammatory agents, and to suppress immune responses. Sometimes called "corticoid."
- DYSPNEA
- Shortness of breath; exertional dyspnea is a shortness of breath caused by physical exercise or effort.
- ENZYME
- A protein molecule that increases the speed (catalyzes) of chemical reactions of other substances without itself being destroyed or altered in the process.
- ERYTHEMA NODOSUM
- A type of panniculitis occurring usually as a hypersensitivity reaction to multiple provoking agents including various infections, drugs, sarcoidosis, and certain intestinal diseases. I most often affects young women in late winter or early spring and is characterized by the development of nodules, often on the shins, as well as mild constitutional symptoms including low-grade fever, fatigue, and multiple joint aches.
- ETIOLOGY
- Cause or origin of a disease or disorder.
- EXACERBATION
- Increase in the severity of a disease of any of its symptoms.
- FIBROSIS
- The formation of fibrous tissue (scarring); (idiopathic) pulmonary fibrosis is the chronic inflammation and progressive fibrosis of the pulmonary alveolar walls.
- FIBROTIC
- Pertaining to or characterized by fibrosis.
- FIBROUS
- Composed of or containing fibers.
- GALLIUM SCAN
- Gallium-67 scanning is a procedure used as a means to diagnose sarcoidosis, but is not considered specific enough to confirm diagnosis.
- GENETIC
- Determined by the genes that are formed at conception and combine to make us into the person that we are at birth.
- GLUCOCORTICOIDS
- One of two major groups of corticosteroids.
- GRANULOMA
- Any small nodular group of inflammatory cells, the formation of which represents a chronic inflammatory reaction to various infectious and noninfectious agents; a noncaseating granuloma is a granuloma that does not have a cheesy consistency like the granulomas in tuberculosis.
- GRANULOMATOUS
- Of or containing granulomas.
- HYPERCALCEMIA
- An excess of calcium in the blood.
- HYPERCALCIURIA
- An excess of calcium in the urine.
- HYPERGAMMAGLOBINEMIA
- An excess of gamma globulins in the blood, it is seen frequently in chronic infectious diseases.
- INFECTIOUS
- Caused by or capable of being communicated by infection.
- INFLAMMATION
- A localized protective response elicited by injury or destruction of tissues, which serves to destroy, dilute, or wall off both the injurious agent and the injured tissue; my include signs of pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function.
- INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE
- Heterogeneous group of noninfectious, nonmalignant disorders of the lower respiratory tract affecting the alveolar wall structures as well as the small airways and blood vessels of the lung parenchyma.
- INTRATHORACIC
- Pertaining to or affecting the area within the chest (thorax).
- KVEIM-SILTZBACH TEST
- A skin test using antigen from human sarcoid tissue injected intradermally (any developing nodules are biopsied); the test is not widely available nor well standardized and has not been approved for general use by the FDA in the USA.
- LAVAGE
- Irrigation or washing out of an organ; bronchoalveolar lavage is a technique by which cells and fluid from the bronchioles and lung alveoli are removed for diagnosis of disease or evaluation of treatment.
- LYMPH NODES
- Any of the accumulations of lymph tissue organized as lymphoid organs situated along the course of lymphatic vessels and consisting of an outer cortical and an inner medullary part.
- NEUROSARCOIDOSIS
- A complication of sarcoidosis involving inflammation and abnormal deposits in the tissues of the nervous system, which includes the pituitary gland, the peripheral nerves, and/or the brain or cranial nerves.
- PANNICULITIS
- An inflammatory reaction of the subcutaneous fat characterized by the development of single or multiple cutaneous nodules.
- PARENCHYMA
- The essential elements of an organ; parenchymal pertains to the parenchyma.
- PATHOGENESIS
- The cellular events, and reactions and other pathologic mechanisms occurring in the development of a disease.
- PFT or PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS
- A series of breathing tests administered to determine any decrease in lung function and capacity.
- PULMONARY
- Pertaining to the lungs.
- RADIOGRAPHY
- An x-ray record of certain internal structures of the body.
- RESPIRATORY
- Pertaining to respiration; the respiratory system consists of all parts of the body that are involved in
respiration including the nose, trachea, and lungs.
- RETINA
- The innermost covering of the eyeball.
- SACE or SERUM ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME
- A substance whose activity is measured as a means of diagnosing sarcoidosis, it is not considered specific enough to
confirm diagnosis.
- SARCOIDOSIS
- A chronic, systemic, granulomatous disease of unknown origin which may involve almost any body organ or tissue and is
characterized by the presence of noncaseating nodules in the covering of the internal/external surfaces of the body.
- SCLERA
- The tough, white outer coat of the eyeball.
- SLIT-LAMP EXAMINATION
- Type of eye examination used to diagnose uveitis.
- SYNDROME
- A set of symptoms which occur together.
- SYSTEMIC or MULTI-SYSTEM
- Pertaining to or affecting the body as a whole.
- UVEITIS
- An inflammation of part or all of the uvea, which is the middle covering of the eye, and commonly involving
the other coverings (the sclera and cornea, and the retina)
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