Amrita Hospital puts the spotlight on Sarcoidosis

With Covid-19 putting the spotlight on respiratory illnesses, Kochi’s Amrita Hospital has further focused its attention on Sarcoidosis, a rare inflammatory disorder primarily affecting the lungs and lymph nodes.

The hospital has started a dedicated Sarcoidosis Clinic and an ILD (Interstitial Lung Disease) Clinic, to address established intestinal diseases, pulmonology issues, and sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is curable and needs to be screened to be caught early, Asmita Mehta, Professor and Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine with Amrita Hospital, told businessline, on the rationale behind the dedicated clinic. While it is caused by unknown factors, treatment often involves corticosteroid treatment, she said. South India accounts for about 30 percent of ILD cases, she said.

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According to a person familiar with the illness, Sarcoidosis, at one point, was listed in a group of illnesses not covered by health insurance. However, the latest position on this is not clear, she added.

Mehta pointed out that the illness is highly treatable and not lifelong. Usually, it involves a treatment duration of six to 18 months, she said, with follow-ups.

While some forms may not require treatment, there are different types of the illness that could have cardiac, renal, and neurological effects, she said.

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ILD represents a group of lung disorders characterised by interstitial tissue inflammation and scarring, with causes ranging from environmental factors to autoimmune diseases, a note from the hospital said. Symptoms include shortness of breath and cough, with treatment depending on the specific ILD type, involving medications, oxygen therapy, or lung transplantation, it added.

Professor Athol Wells, a respiratory medicine expert from Imperial College, London, said that the dedicated clinics would raise awareness among general practitioners and paramedical professionals to consider the possibility of interstitial lung disease early in the diagnostic process. “The general public may not prioritise these disorders, but it is within the medical community’s hands to enhance awareness and expedite diagnosis for improved patient outcomes,” he said.

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