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Your immune system creates inflammation to help defend you against germs and sickness. But in sarcoidosis, inflammation goes off track and the cells in your immune system form lumps, called granulomas, in your body. Over time, inflammation may lead to permanent scarring of organs.
Studies suggest that triggers to your immune system, including infections without symptoms or coming into contact with substances in the environment, can lead to sarcoidosis in certain people. Some of these people have genes that put them at risk for the disease.