Gender differences, rates of arrhythmias, cardiac implantable electronic devices, diagnostic modalities among sarcoidosis patients

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease with multiorgan involvement. Cardiac involvement may be asymptomatic or present clinically as heart failure, arrhythmias or even sudden cardiac death.

We compared gender differences in prevalence of arrhythmias and associated outcomes in patients with sarcoidosis without established coronary artery disease.

The United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried from 2010 to 2014 to identify patients with sarcoidosis using ICD-9 diagnosis code in patients >18 years. We excluded patients with a prior history of myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass graft. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.

The sample consisted of 308,064 patients (Mage = 55.65±11.28 years); they were mostly women 945 (65.2%) and black 957 (46.7%). In-hospital mortality in this cohort was 1,574 (2.5%). The most common arrhythmias was atrial fibrillation 29,850 (9.7%). Prevalence of ventricular fibrillation was 669 (0.2%), ventricular tachycardia 6,184 (2%), complete heart block 1462 (0.5%) and second degree Mobitz type II 245 (0.1%). Sudden cardiac death occurred in 2,059 (0.7%). Rates of various cardiac devices implanted were: implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) 1,452 (0.5%), cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator (CRT-D) 553 (0.2%), pacemaker 1259 (0.4%). Rates of endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), radionuclide imaging, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were 470 (0.2%), 879 (0.3%), and 224 (0.1%), respectively. Based on gender (male vs. female), the rates of arrhythmias, cardiac device implantation and utilization of diagnostic modalities were: atrial fibrillation (41% vs 59%; p<0.001), ventricular fibrillation (50% vs 50%; p=0.983), ventricular tachycardia (55% vs 45%; p<0.001), complete heart block (48% vs 52%; p=0.3), second degree Mobitz type II (37% vs 63%; p=0.706), sudden cardiac death (38% vs 62%; p<0.171), ICD (56% vs 44%; p<0.001), CRT-D (58% vs 42%; p<0.025), pacemaker (40% vs 60%; p=0.066), EMB (55% vs 45%; p<0.001), radionuclide imaging (32% vs 68%; p=0.403), cardiac MRI (41% vs 59%; p=0.396). In-hospital mortality was higher in females (36% vs 64%; p<0.001).

In our study, in-hospital death was more common in females. Females had higher rates of atrial fibrillation compared to males who were found to have a higher burden of ventricular tachycardia. Males had higher rates of ICD and CRT-D placement. Males also had EMB performed more commonly than females.

Type of funding source: None