Cardiac sarcoidosis: a potentially fatal but treatable form of infiltrative heart disease

EMC Chau, KYY Fan, WH Chow
Department of Cardiology, Grantham Hospital, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

Cardiac sarcoidosis is a rare but important differential diagnosis in patients who present with progressive heart failure and arrhythmia. It may be diagnosed on endomyocardial biopsy. An excellent response can be achieved with steroid therapy in the early acute inflammatory stage. Progression of the disease may lead to end-stage heart failure that requires implantation of a permanent pacemaker, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to heart transplantation. We present three Hong Kong Chinese patients with cardiac sarcoidosis.

Hong Kong Med J 2006;12:65-7

Key words: Arrhythmia; Cardiomyopathies; Heart transplantation; Sarcoidosis