Sarcoidosis can profoundly affect a person’s ability to work, yet symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive difficulties, and pain are still too often overlooked in work capacity assessments, where the focus mainly remains on lung function results.
To address this, 177 representatives from the sarcoidosis community — including healthcare professionals, researchers, and people living with sarcoidosis — joined forces to advocate for a more patient-centered, holistic, multidisciplinary, and expert approach to work ability assessment. Recognizing the complex and often invisible impact of sarcoidosis is essential to achieving fairer and more personalized evaluations.
Read more in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine about improving support for people with sarcoidosis and work participation. Adapted versions have since also been published in German and French.
To further support patients, the practical infographic and brochure “Sarcoidosis and Work” help make symptoms and limitations more visible and easier to discuss with healthcare professionals, occupational physicians, employers, and insurance assessors. The infographic is now available in multiple languages, allowing patients to access information in their own language.
A holistic approach is not only important for sarcoidosis, but for everyone living with a chronic condition.
References
- Drent M, Israël-Biet D. Au-delà de la fonction pulmonaire : vers une évaluation personnalisée de la capacité de travail dans la sarcoïdose [Beyond pulmonary function: toward personalized work ability assessment in sarcoidosis]. Rev Mal Respir. 2026 May;43(1):66-71. French. doi: 10.1016/j.rmr.2026.02.002.
- Bonella F, Schillhorn K, Drent M. Grenzen überwinden: Eine ganzheitliche Beurteilung der Arbeitsfähigkeit bei Sarkoidose [Breaking barriers: holistic assessment of ability to work in patients with sarcoidosis]. Pneumologie. 2026 Apr;80(4):227-233. German. doi: 10.1055/a-2705-7546.
- Drent M, Russell AM, Saketkoo LA, Spagnolo P, Veltkamp M, Wells AU; representatives of the sarcoidosis community. Breaking barriers: holistic assessment of ability to work in patients with sarcoidosis. Lancet Respir Med. 2024 Nov;12(11):848-851. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(24)00297-2.
- Translated multilingual infographics: Link