Sarcoidosis Statistics

Incidence of People with Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis was first identified in 1869, by an English Doctor, Jonathan Hutchinson.

Dr Hutchinson treated a patient who had "multiple, raised, dusty-red patches on his feet, fingers, and arm". Overtime Dr Hutchinson saw more patients with similar symptoms.

In many cases patches and lumps on the skin were shown in the skin, eyes or other organs. Despite different organs being affected across a range of patients, each patient had only one affected organ. Later discoveries showed that sarcoidosis involved the whole body.

Once thought rare, sarcoidosis is a fairly common non contagious disease which can affect most parts of the body and occurs worldwide.

In the United States sarcoidosis affects approximately 11 out of every 100,000 Caucasians and approximately 36 out of every 100,000 African Americans.

Age

Sarcoidosis can affect men and women of all ages - it is more common in adults between 20 - 40 years.

Gender

Sarcoidosis can affect both men and women - it is slightly more prevalent in women than men although rates vary between nations.

Prevalence & Race

Sarcoidosis occurs worldwide although is more common in people of African, Asian, German, Irish, Puerto Rican or Scandinavian origin. Sarcoidosis frequently occurs in the white population of Scandinavia and the black population of the Caribbean region. For example, sarcoidosis is a common disease in Sweden affecting over 60 people per 100,000 of the population.

Genetics

Sarcoidosis can run in families being passed down from one generation to the next. However a genetic link has not yet been proven.

Environmental Factors

Sarcoidosis is more prevalent in non-smokers than smokers. Health care workers have a higher rate of sarcoidosis and exposure to materials such as beryllium metal (used in aircraft and weapons manufacture) and dust from birds or hay may cause sarcoidosis-like reactions in the lungs.