title: Increased risk of ventricular tachycardia in patients with sarcoidosis during the very long term follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sarcoidosis is an important diagnostic consideration in patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) of unknown origin. The clinical course of VT as the primary presentation in patients with sarcoidosis is mostly unknown. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of life-threatening VT and mortality during long term follow-up in patients with sarcoidosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the epidemiological features of sarcoidosis in Taiwan using the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2004. Patients with sarcoidosis were identified, and healthy controls without prior histories of structural heart disease were matched with a 1:1 propensity-score to the sarcoidosis group. The risk of life-threatening VT and mortality with sarcoidosis was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2237 sarcoidosis cases were enrolled with a matching number of healthy controls, and the baseline characteristics between the two groups were similar. After a mean follow-up of 11.4±2.15years (IQR: 12, 11.3-12), the VT incidence in the sarcoidosis group was higher than in healthy controls (0.94% [85 per 100,000 person-year] in the sarcoidosis group, and 0.09% [8 per 100,000 person-year] in healthy controls). After a multivariate adjustment including the sex, age, and other comorbidities, the VT risk was still higher in the sarcoidosis group (hazard ratio: 12.7, 95% confidence interval: 2.82-56.9; P<0.001). The risk of defibrillator implantations for secondary prevention, cardiovascular death, and total mortality between the groups was equivalent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sarcoidosis may increase the predisposition to ventricular arrhythmias with a cumulative incidence of 0.94% during a very long term follow-up of nearly 10years from initially diagnosing sarcoidosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Abigail Louise D
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Te
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: linyennjiang@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yenn-Jiang
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Intitute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yun-Yu
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fa-Po
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Wei
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ta-Chuan
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Tuan
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tze-Fan
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jo-Nan
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chin-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yao-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Intitute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuo-Liong
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D000069451:Long Term Adverse Effects / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012107:Research Design; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Mortality; Sarcoidosis; Ventricular tachycardia