Black History of Health: Tisha Campbell

Most people met Tisha Campbell as ‘Gina’ on the television show, ‘Martin’. However, she’s been on TV since she was six years old. Her first role was in 1974 on The Big Blue Marble, which was on PBS. She then went on to act in several other programs as well as participate in talent shows. In 1988, she scored her first film role in Spike Lee’s ‘School Daze’.

She went on to star in several other movies before landing a role in ‘Martin’ in 1992. Since then, she has continued to act in films and television. Campbell also received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her time on ‘My Wife and Kids’.

Though she’s mostly known for acting, she also has a music career that spawned an album and several singles. Given her vocal prowess, many people were surprised when the actress revealed that she’d been living with pulmonary sarcoidosis for most of her life.

What Is Pulmonary Sarcoidosis?

Generally, sarcoidosis is a condition that causes your immune system to attack certain parts of the body. When the immune system overreacts, you can develop lumps in the affected areas known as granulomas. If you have these granulomas in your lungs, then it’s characterized as pulmonary sarcoidosis and most of your symptoms will affect how well your lungs function.

The bad thing about pulmonary sarcoidosis is that it may not show any symptoms in the early stages. Once they start to appear, the progression can be gradual. A few of the symptoms you might experience include wheezing, shortness of breath, a persistent cough, and chest pain. Sometimes, you can have other symptoms that aren’t related to your lungs such as chronic fatigue, joint pain, heart palpitations, an unexplained fever, and unexpected weight loss.

Though doctors haven’t identified a definitive cause for pulmonary sarcoidosis, there are certain factors that may increase your likelihood of developing the condition. These factors can include having a family history of sarcoidosis, being born female, and being a Black American. Additionally, prolonged exposure to bacteria, viruses, and chemical irritants might result in being diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

How The Condition Is Diagnosed

Generally, your pulmonary sarcoidosis diagnosis starts with your doctor giving you a thorough physical examination and taking your medical history. Afterward, there are several tests that they may use to find out what’s wrong. These tests can include blood tests, pulmonary function tests, CT scans, chest X-rays, and bronchoscopies. Depending on the results, you may also need to do a lung biopsy to determine what’s affecting your lungs.

Given that there are other conditions that can cause similar symptoms to pulmonary sarcoidosis, your doctor will want to rule everything else out before giving you a final diagnosis.