Years of Frustrating Symptoms, Multiple Tests: Neurosarcoidosis is the Etiology - A Case Report

Abstract

Neurosarcoidosis is a rare, chronic inflammatory disease that affects the nervous system. It is diagnosed in 5 to 10% of sarcoidosis patients, but has been found in 25% of autopsies. This suggests that a large percentage of patients are asymptomatic or misdiagnosed. Diagnosis is difficult due to variable expressivity and overlap of symptoms with other neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis. Moreover, diagnosis proves challenging because currently, the most specific test for neurosarcoidosis requires a histological biopsy confirmation of the affected neural tissue. This presents with its own complications. Due to the lack of fixed diagnostic methods and symptom overlap, a multidisciplinary approach is recommended in diagnosing a patient with possible neurosarcoidosis. This case describes the difficulty in making the diagnosis and the persistence of the patients physicians.