Early detection is not really possible on the basis of symptoms. Many times detection is serendipitous when investigating other diseases or non-specific symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest discomfort. The diagnosis is made by finding a type of inflammation called non-caseous granulomas on biopsy of various tissues and ruling out tuberculosis and fungal diseases in the biopsy with special stains and cultures. If there is active inflammation of vital organs glucocorticosteroids such as prednisone can be used. In difficult cases or in special situations other anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive medication can be used, such as hydroxychloroquine, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and cyclosporine.
Various medications have numerous possible side effects.
It would be better not to list all the possible side effects here. Furthermore, not everyone who takes these medications will automatically have these side effects. Many people will improve with respect to sarcoidosis and not have many or any side effects. There are no specific dietary supplements that are oriented toward sarcoidosis. However, regular meals and nutritional supplements with emphasis on preventive medicine may be of benefit.