Undiagnosed myocardial sarcoidosis presenting as life threatening cardiac dysrhythmia. 2011

Stacy A Davis, and Walter J Moore, and Alyce M Oliver
Section of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder of unknown aetiology characterised by its pathological hallmark of non-caseating granuloma. Definitive diagnosis requires compatible clinical and imaging features as well as pathogenic identification of non-caseating granulomas in at least one organ. The disease has a wide variety of clinical and radiological manifestations but is associated with low mortality. However, cardiac involvement which is clinically only identified in 5% significantly worsens prognosis due to complications such as congestive heart failure, ventricular tachyarrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension or conduction disturbance leading to sudden death. Cardiac involvement is implicated in 77-85% of deaths directly related to sarcoidosis. Autopsy series in sarcoidosis patients show cardiac involvement with sarcoidosis in up to 79% cases. This case details the clinical course of a 56-year-old female who had experienced refractory cardiac dysrhythmias for many years in the context of also having biopsy proven pulmonary sarcoidosis. She had failed multiple antiarrhythmics as well as pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement. It was not until she presented as a potentially fatal ventricular tachycardia that the possibility of cardiac involvement from her sarcoidosis was entertained as the aetiology of her cardiac problems. Confirmation of myocardial sarcoidosis with PET CT imaging and subsequent treatment with prednisone resulted in her clinical improvement.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D009202 Cardiomyopathies A group of diseases in which the dominant feature is the involvement of the CARDIAC MUSCLE itself. Cardiomyopathies are classified according to their predominant pathophysiological features (DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY; HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY; RESTRICTIVE CARDIOMYOPATHY) or their etiological/pathological factors (CARDIOMYOPATHY, ALCOHOLIC; ENDOCARDIAL FIBROELASTOSIS). Myocardial Disease,Myocardial Diseases,Myocardial Diseases, Primary,Myocardial Diseases, Secondary,Myocardiopathies,Primary Myocardial Disease,Cardiomyopathies, Primary,Cardiomyopathies, Secondary,Primary Myocardial Diseases,Secondary Myocardial Diseases,Cardiomyopathy,Cardiomyopathy, Primary,Cardiomyopathy, Secondary,Disease, Myocardial,Disease, Primary Myocardial,Disease, Secondary Myocardial,Diseases, Myocardial,Diseases, Primary Myocardial,Diseases, Secondary Myocardial,Myocardial Disease, Primary,Myocardial Disease, Secondary,Myocardiopathy,Primary Cardiomyopathies,Primary Cardiomyopathy,Secondary Cardiomyopathies,Secondary Cardiomyopathy,Secondary Myocardial Disease
D004630 Emergencies Situations or conditions requiring immediate intervention to avoid serious adverse results. Emergency
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012507 Sarcoidosis An idiopathic systemic inflammatory granulomatous disorder comprised of epithelioid and multinucleated giant cells with little necrosis. It usually invades the lungs with fibrosis and may also involve lymph nodes, skin, liver, spleen, eyes, phalangeal bones, and parotid glands. Besnier-Boeck Disease,Boeck's Sarcoid,Besnier-Boeck-Schaumann Syndrome,Boeck Disease,Boeck's Disease,Schaumann Disease,Schaumann Syndrome,Schaumann's Syndrome,Besnier Boeck Disease,Besnier Boeck Schaumann Syndrome,Boeck Sarcoid,Boecks Disease,Boecks Sarcoid,Disease, Schaumann,Sarcoid, Boeck's,Sarcoidoses,Schaumann's Syndromes,Syndrome, Besnier-Boeck-Schaumann,Syndrome, Schaumann,Syndrome, Schaumann's
D017180 Tachycardia, Ventricular An abnormally rapid ventricular rhythm usually in excess of 150 beats per minute. It is generated within the ventricle below the BUNDLE OF HIS, either as autonomic impulse formation or reentrant impulse conduction. Depending on the etiology, onset of ventricular tachycardia can be paroxysmal (sudden) or nonparoxysmal, its wide QRS complexes can be uniform or polymorphic, and the ventricular beating may be independent of the atrial beating (AV dissociation). Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia,Nonsustained Ventricular Tachycardia,Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia,Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias,Ventricular Tachycardia,Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardias,Nonsustained Ventricular Tachycardias,Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardias,Supraventricular Tachycardia, Paroxysmal,Tachyarrhythmia, Ventricular,Tachycardia, Idiopathic Ventricular,Tachycardia, Nonsustained Ventricular,Tachycardia, Paroxysmal Supraventricular,Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia,Ventricular Tachycardia, Idiopathic,Ventricular Tachycardia, Nonsustained,Ventricular Tachycardias

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