Spotlight on Sarcoidosis

I was just watching a special on A&E about the darker side of comedy and the tragedies that famous comedians have gone through. I learned something new and didn't know that Bernie Mac had Sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disesase.

This excerpt was taken from Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia online to explain what it is: "Sarcoidosis is a disease in which swelling (inflammation) occurs in the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, eyes, skin, or other tissues. The cause of the disease is unknown. In sarcoidosis, clumps of abnnormal tissue (granulomas) form in certain organs of the body. Granulomas are clusters of immune cells.

The disease can affect almost any organ of the body, but it most commonly affects the lungs.

Possible causes of sarcoidosis include:
*Excess sensitivity to environmental factors,
*Genetics,
*Extreme immune response to infection

The condition is more common in African Americans than Caucasians. Females are usually affected more often than males. The disease typically begins between the ages of 20 and 40."

I remember hearing on the news that his death was attributed to a heart attack with no mention of Sarcoidosis. Maybe my memory fails me. At any rate it would have been nice for an autoimmune disease to gain some media attention to educate the masses.