Sarcoidosis Program

What is Sarcoidosis?

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that affects many different organs of the body.  It mostly affects the lungs and the lymph nodes. People who are diagnosed with sarcoidosis usually present with lumps called granulomas.  Occasionally, sarcoidosis is referred to as simply “sarcoid.”

The symptoms vary widely depending on the organs involved.  Not all organs are affected at the same time with sarcoidosis.  There are many people with sarcoidosis who live healthy, happy, and active lives.  Many do not have daily symptoms.  Others have symptoms that develop and worsen over time.

Patients mostly complain of persistent dry cough, fatigue and shortness of breath, especially when the lungs are involved.  The exact cause of sarcoidosis is still unknown but its manifestations show an association of autoimmune response from unknown triggers.  In other words, the person’s own immune system may be involved.

UTHealth Houston Sarcoidosis Program

We are committed to improve the lives of our patients as our priorities are to alleviate their symptoms and improve the function of everyday lives. Quality of life is very important to us. We seek to coordinate patient care with other specialist physicians depending on the organs that are affected by the sarcoidosis condition.

As part of an academic tertiary referral center, our Sarcoidosis Program offers state of the art, evidence-based management of sarcoidosis.

For more information on our UTHealth Houston Interstitial Lung Disease Program, click here.

Mission of the Sarcoidosis Program

We break down our mission statement into four key focus areas: clinical care, community, education, and research.

Clinical Care:  To provide a compassionate, comprehensive, state of the art, and evidence-based approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with sarcoidosis

Community: To disseminate awareness and educate the public about the spectrum of sarcoidosis

Education: To train future specialist physicians in the diagnosis and empathetic treatment of patient living with sarcoidosis

Research: To advance the science and contribute to the knowledge in sarcoidosis through cooperative and multidisciplinary involvement in discovering novel ideas on the causes, mechanisms of disease development, and disease progression, all while exploring new avenues of treatment

Meet Our Physicians

The Sarcoidosis Program is spearheaded by Dr. Pascal Kingah, Dr. Rahat Hussain, and Dr. Gautam Sikka .  They are all academic faculty members of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Dr. Kingah serves as the Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Cypress. Dr. Hussain is trained in lung transplant medicine and is part of the Lung Transplant team at UTHealth Houston / Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center, where he provides care to patients with sarcoidosis, COPD, and advanced lung diseases. They are both active members of the World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Diseases (WASOG).

Location, Day and Times

UT Professional Building
6410 Fannin Street, Suite 600
Houston, TX 77030

Dr. Kingah – Fridays 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
Appointments: 832-325-7222; Fax: 713-512-2247

Clinic Location, Day and Times

Memorial Hermann Plaza
6411 Fannin Street, Suite 2500
Houston, TX 77030

Dr. Hussain – Mondays 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Appointments: 713-704-4300

Clinic Location, Day and Times

UT Professional Building
6410 Fannin Street, Suite 600
Houston, TX 77030

Dr. Sikka – Fridays 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Appointments: 832-325-7222; Fax: 713-512-2247

Patient Resources