Improvement of cardiac sympathetic nerve function in sarcoidosis.
Some patients with sarcoidosis can have cardiac involvement. Impairment of the cardiac sympathetic nerve activity is seen in about 50% of the sarcoidosis patients with small fiber neuropathy. In this case we present a sarcoidosis patient with small fiber neuropathy and cardiac symptoms with a cardiac sympathetic dysfunction, assessed with I-123 MIBG SPECT. After 5 months of treatment with carvedilol, which has besides adrenergic receptor blocking effects also antioxidant action, we saw a clear improvement of the cardiac sympathetic function demonstrated on a repeated I-123 MIBG SPECT. Future studies should explore the clinical relevance of the relation of oxidative stress, antioxidant therapy and cardiac dysfunction in sarcoidosis.
Smulders
N M
NM
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, The Netherlands.
Bast
A
A
van Kroonenburgh
M J P G
MJ
Drent
M
M
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002227:Carbazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077261:Carvedilol; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D002227:Carbazoles; D011412:Propanolamines; D000077261:Carvedilol