How common is isolated cardiac sarcoidosis? Extra-cardiac and cardiac findings on clinical examination and whole-body 18F –fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography

Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease which can involve nearly any organ. Clinically manifest cardiac involvement occurs in perhaps 5% of patients with sarcoidosis. The reported prevalence of isolated cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) varies widely with reported rates of 27 –54%. The explanation for this variability is likely multi-factorial but perhaps mostly related to the diagnostic method(s) for assessing extra-cardiac involvement. The primary aim of this study was to assess the rate of isolated CS in a homogeneous, prospectively recruited cohort of patients with clinically manifest CS, using whole body FDG PET-CT imaging as a gold standard.
Source: International Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research