Doppler echocardiographic detection of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with biopsy specimen-proved pulmonary sarcoidosis without clinical evidence of cardiac disease.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study.


METHODS
A large tertiary care university teaching hospital.


METHODS
Fifty consecutive subjects had biopsy specimen-proved pulmonary sarcoidosis without suspected cardiac involvement. Those with other conditions known to affect diastolic function were excluded. The control group comprised 30 healthy hospital workers.


METHODS
Clinical examination, 12-lead ECG, and combined echocardiographic/phonocardiographic examination.


METHODS
Indexes of left ventricular diastolic function, including isovolumic relaxation time, peak velocity of early (E) and late (A) ventricular filling, deceleration rate of early diastolic flow, and the sum of the time velocity integrals of E and A were obtained in each patient and control subject. Systolic function was determined using a modification of Simpson's rule.


RESULTS
Diastolic dysfunction was present in 7 (14%) patients, 6 of whom had normal systolic function and normal two-dimensional echocardiographic examination. Those with diastolic dysfunction had a longer duration of illness (15 +/- 7 vs 6 +/- 5 years; p = 0.0004), were significantly older (52 +/- 11 vs 38 +/- 9 years; p = 0.0009), and had higher systolic BP (130 +/- 13 vs 117 +/- 12 mm Hg; p = 0.01) than the sarcoid patients with normal diastolic function.


CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate a significant prevalence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. The cause of this abnormality may be a subclinical sarcoid cardiomyopathy.
Department of Cardiology, University College and St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
G J
GJ
Fahy
T
T
Marwick
C J
CJ
McCreery
P J
PJ
Quigley
B J
BJ
Maurer
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002302:Cardiac Output; D002306:Cardiac Volume; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003971:Diastole; D004452:Echocardiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010701:Phonocardiography; D015995:Prevalence; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013599:Systole; D013997:Time Factors; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left