Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Diagnosis of Cardiac Sarcoidosis

Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2022 Mar 14;18(2):78-93. doi: 10.14797/mdcvj.1057. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a widely underdiagnosed yet clinically significant form of granulomatous myocarditis associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Clinical presentation ranges from silent cardiac involvement detected on imaging to cardiomyopathy or sudden cardiac death. Diagnosis of CS remains challenging due to the lack of sensitivity and specificity of any single diagnostic method, underscoring the importance of elevated clinical suspicion and the use of multimodality imaging to guide diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, and diagnosis of this clinically evading and enigmatic disease.

Keywords: cardiac FDG-PET; cardiac sarcoidosis; granulomatous myocarditis; inflammatory cardiomyopathy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cardiomyopathies* / diagnostic imaging
  • Cardiomyopathies* / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Multimodal Imaging
  • Myocarditis*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods
  • Sarcoidosis* / diagnosis
  • Sarcoidosis* / epidemiology
  • Sarcoidosis* / therapy