title: Assessment of aortic elastic properties in patients with sarcoidosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory granulomatous disease of unknown etiology that involves multiple organ systems. Many studies have shown a strong relationship between inflammation and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between elastic properties of the aorta and the duration of the disease in patients with sarcoidosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included 52 patients with sarcoidosis (22 men, mean age = 42.7 ± 10.7 years, and mean disease duration = 38.8 ± 10.8 months) and 50 healthy control subjects (18 men, and mean age = 42.0 ± 8.0 years). Aortic stiffness (β) index, aortic strain (AoS) and aortic distensibility (AoD) were calculated from the aortic diameters measured by transthoracic echocardiography and blood pressure obtained by sphygmomanometer. Cardiac functions were determined by using routine echocardiographic evaluation consist of standard two-dimensional and conventional Doppler and tissue Doppler imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The conventional echocardiographic parameters were similar between patients and controls. There were significant differences between the control and the patient groups in β index (1.63 ± 0.55 vs 2.44 ± 1.54, p = 0.001), AoS (15.61 ± 5.69 vs 10.93 ± 4.11%, p < 0.001) and AoD (6.35 ± 2.64 vs 4.66 ± 1.98, 10 (-6) cm(2)/dyn, p = 0.001). There were statistically significant negative correlations between the disease duration and AoD (r = -0.46, p = 0.01) and AoS (r= -0.44, p = 0.002), whereas there was a positive correlation between the disease duration and β index (r = 0.37, p = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, disease duration was significantly related with AoD, AoS and β index (respectively, RR = 3.28, p = 0.002; RR = 3.03, p = 0.004; RR = 2.39, p = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed that elastic properties of the aorta alter in patients with sarcoidosis. We also have demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between aortic elastic properties and the disease duration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gaziantep State Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey. idrisardic@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Idris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ardic
authors.forename: Mikail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yarlioglues
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dogdu
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Buyukoglan
authors.forename: Asiye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanbay
authors.forename: Mahmut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akpek
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bol
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuksel
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akkaya
authors.forename: Ertan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vuruskan
authors.forename: Mehmet Gungor
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Kaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*