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sarcoidosis is often a bronchocentric disease associated with

granulomatous inflammation of the airways
A cough is the sudden expulsion of air from the passages of the
respiratory tract. It serves the purpose of clearing our airways of
mucus, bugs and foreign particles. Coughs are something we are
familiar with.
coughing, are a common immune system reaction.
cough may also vary with each disease. This article reviews what is currently
known about cough in sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; two of the
commonest ILDs. It also outlines some of the theories which have been proposed
to explain why cough develops in these conditions and describes what little is
known about how to treat it.
clinical observation suggests that neither massive hilar and mediastinal
lymphadenopathy nor interstitial infiltration are, in themselves,
sufficient to cause significant cough (Figure1). Perhaps more important
is the recognition that sarcoidosis is often a bronchocentric disease
associated with granulomatous inflammation of the airways [5]
Coughing can be very tiring. Adequate rest will help combat the cough and
the fatigue.
Your heart and lungs are involved in transporting oxygen to your tissues
and removing carbon dioxide, and problems with either of these processes
affect your breathing
Shortness of breath that comes on suddenly (called acute) has a limited
number of causes, including:

Asthma (bronchospasm)

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Cardiac tamponade (excess fluid around the heart)

Hiatal hernia

Heart failure

Low blood pressure (hypotension)

Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in an artery in the lung)

Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)

Pneumonia (pulmonary infection)

Sudden blood loss

Upper airway obstruction (blockage in the breathing passage)

In the case of shortness of breath that has lasted for weeks or longer
(called chronic), the condition is most often due to:

Asthma

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

Deconditioning

Heart dysfunction

Interstitial lung disease

Obesity

A number of other health conditions also can make it hard to get enough
air. These include:
Lung problems

Croup (in young children)

Lung cancer

Pleurisy (inflammation of the membrane lining the chest)

Pulmonary edema (excess fluid in the lungs)

(scarred and damaged lungs)

Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure within the lungs' blood

vessels)

Sarcoidosis (collections of inflammatory cells in the body)

Tuberculosis

Heart problems

Cardiomyopathy (problem with the heart muscle)

Heart arrhythmias (rhythm problems)

Heart failure

Pericarditis (swelling of the membrane surrounding the heart)

Other problems

Anemia

Broken ribs

Choking: First aid

Epiglottitis (swelling of part of the windpipe)

Foreign object inhaled: First aid

Generalized anxiety disorder

Guillain-Barre syndrome

Myasthenia gravis (condition causing muscle weakness)

sarcoidosis patients suffer from persistent fatigue

fatigue was by far the most frequent symptom, compared to
dyspnoea, cough, arthralgia and thoracic pain
Causes of fatigue in sarcoidosis Some attempts have been made
to examine the underlying causes of fatigue in sarcoidosis. The
general inflammation and metabolic derangement have been
discussed [14]. In a recent study, none of the variables tested,
including lung function, metabolic measures, laboratory
parameters of inflammation, T-cell activation and granuloma
formation, were useful in predicting fatigue in sarcoidosis patients
[10]. However, these were cross-sectional studies. Other factors
that may contribute to fatigue in sarcoidosis are myopathy and
sleeping disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnoea [15, 16],
which is frequent in sarcoidosis, and sleep disturbances
associated with periodic leg movements [17]. The prevalence of
obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in the studied sarcoidosis
population with clinically significant sarcoidosis was 17%, which
was significantly higher than in a control group (3.3%) and the
general population (24%) [15]. Moreover, patients with lupus
pernio were 8.1 times more likely to exhibit sleep apnoea than
those without. In sarcoidosis, pain also appears to be related to
fatigue. In a study among a large group of sarcoidosis patients
without comorbid conditions, fatigue was associated with the
presence of pain and specific types of pain, such as muscle pain,
chest pain, arthralgia, abdominal pain and headache [18]. A
feeling of general weakness is common in sarcoidosis [7]. It is also
possible that lack of exercise contributes to fatigue in sarcoidosis.
Fatigue has been examined in relation to psychological factors. In
a recent study, a considerable number of sarcoidosis patients

were diagnosed with depression, a major symptom of which is

fatigue [1, 19]. In a Dutch study, patients appeared to score
highly for perceived stress, which was related to fatigue, even
after the role of depression was

Causes of sarcoidosis
The body's immune system normally fights off infections by releasing white
blood cells into the blood to isolate and destroy the germs. This results in
inflammation (swelling and redness) of the body tissues in that area. The
immune system responds like this to anything in the blood it doesn't
recognise, and dies down when the infection has been cleared.
It's thought that sarcoidosis happens because the immune system has
gone into "overdrive", where the body starts to attack its own tissues and
organs. The resulting inflammation then causes granulomas to develop in
the organs.
There are many similar conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus,
that are caused by the body attacking its own tissues. These are
collectively known as autoimmune conditions.
It's not known why the immune system behaves like this, but research is
being carried out to see what triggers sarcoidosis (search clinical trials for
sarcoidosis).
It's possible that some environmental factor triggers the condition in people
who are already genetically susceptible to it.
Sarcoidosis can occasionally occur in more than one family member, but
there's no evidence that the condition is inherited. The condition isn't
infectious, so it can't be passed from person to person.
Who's affected
Sarcoidosis can affect people of any age, but usually starts in young adults
aged between 20 and 40. It's rare in childhood.

The condition affects people from all ethnic backgrounds, but it's most
common in people of African descent. It's also more common in women
than men

Symptoms of sarcoidosis
It's impossible to predict how sarcoidosis will affect a person, as the
condition can affect any organ and the symptoms vary widely depending on
which organs are involved.
Most people with sarcoidosis develop symptoms suddenly, but they
usually clear within a few months or years and the condition doesn't come
back. This is known as acute sarcoidosis.
Some people don't have any symptoms at all, and the condition is
diagnosed after an X-ray carried out for another reason.
A few people find their symptoms develop gradually and get worse over
time, to the point where they become severely affected. Lots of granulomas
may form in an organ and prevent it from working properly. This is known
as chronic sarcoidosis.
Sarcoidosis most often affects the lungs, skin and/or lymph nodes (glands).
Some of the typical symptoms are listed below, although someone with
sarcoidosis will probably only have a few of these.

Sarcoidosis is the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells (granulomas) in

different parts of your body most commonly the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes and skin.
Doctors believe sarcoidosis results from the body's immune system responding to an
unknown substance, most likely something inhaled from the air.
There is no cure for sarcoidosis, but most people do very well with little or only modest
treatment. In half of cases, sarcoidosis goes away on its own. In a few cases, however,
sarcoidosis may last for years and may cause organ damage.

___________________

Causes
Doctors don't know the exact cause of sarcoidosis. Some people appear to have a
genetic predisposition to develop the disease, which may be triggered by bacteria,
viruses, dust or chemicals.
This triggers an overreaction of your immune system and immune cells begin to collect
in a pattern of inflammation called granulomas. As granulomas build up in an organ, the
function of that organ can be affected

A dry cough is a cough where no mucus or very little mucus is expectorated (coughed up). This is
known as a non-productive cough. Most conditions that may cause a cough will present as
a dry cough in the early stages. As the disease progresses, the productive nature of the cough will
become evident.
Coughing is a result of airway irritation which triggers the cough reflex. Apart from expelling
irritants from the airway, coughing also removes mucus which may accumulate as a result of
hypersecretion from the lining of the airways. Irritation of the airway without excessive mucus

production results in a dry cough.This does not mean that no mucus is present in the lung or
airways in a dry cough but rather that the quantity of mucus is very little and may not be
expectorated upon coughing.
Depending on the cause, other respiratory symptoms may also be noticed like shortness of
breath (dyspnea), a hoarse voice and/or abnormal breathing sounds.