UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Neurology

Title: Neurosarcoidosis

Keywords: sarcoidosis, neurosarcoidosis, cranial nerve dysfunction (PubMed Search)

Posted: 12/26/2007 by Aisha Liferidge, MD (Updated: 1/9/2010)
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  • Less than 10% of sarcoidosis cases affect only the nervous system.
  • In such cases, granulomas form within nervous tissue and usually only occurs when there is significant systemic involvement.
  • Most sarcoid exacerbations affecting the nervous system are not recurrent. 
  • Manifestations of neurosarcoidosis include:
    • 1)  Mononeuropathy - Cranial nerve dysfunction most common     (Heerfordt  syndrome = uveitis, fever, parotid gland inflammation, and facial nerve palsy).
    • 2)  Peripheral neuropathy - Sensation and/or motor dyusfunction
    • 3)  Central Nervous System -  Hypothalamus/pituitary gland, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, spinal cord (rare)