Exertional Dyspnea Incidentally Diagnosed as Sarcoidosis: A Teaching Hospital Experience

• Published in: Case reports in pulmonology Vol. 2023; p. 8689352
• Main Authors: Nartey, Melvina, Ulzen-Appiah, Kofi
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2023
• ISSN: 2090-6846
• DOI: 10.1155/2023/8689352

BackgroundSarcoidosis is a complex disease with nonspecific etiology and clinical presentation. Its diagnosis is often delayed due to the absence of a single specific investigation modality. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary for its diagnosis. Report. A 49-year-old male presented with recurrent dyspnea on exertion, easy fatigue, and chest pain after several visits to different health facilities over 5 months. A diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis was made after a series of laboratory and imaging investigations were done revealing bilateral reticonodular opacifications, noncaseating granulomata, elevated serum ACE and calcium levels consistent with sarcoidosis. ConclusionSarcoidosis, although a rare presentation in our setting, may easily be overlooked or misdiagnosed if a holistic or multidisciplinary approach is not employed in its diagnosis. Nonspecificity of symptoms contributes to the delayed diagnosis.