Cardiac Screening and Disease Characteristics of Patients with Ocular Sarcoidosis

This is a retrospective nonrandomized cohort study investigating the prevalence, timing, and type of cardiac sarcoidosis indications on electrocardiogram in patients with diagnosed or suspected ocular sarcoidosis.

Medical histories of individuals seen from 2005 to 2020 at two centers with diagnosed or suspected ocular sarcoidosis were searched, and statistical methods were used to evaluate the relevance of each aspect obtained.

Approximately 16% of the individuals in our cohort showed signs of cardiac sarcoidosis on ECG, primarily bundle branch blocks, and premature ventricular contractions, close to the time of their initial ocular sarcoidosis documentation. Males exhibited higher rates of clinically significant extra-pulmonary sarcoidosis. No other demographic differences were found.

Our findings highlight the importance for further differentiation of non-infectious sarcoidosis and the utility of electrocardiogram screening. Studies with larger cohorts of ocular sarcoidosis might be needed to elucidate demographic differences within this patient population.