Ventricular tachyarrhythmia due to cardiac sarcoidosis in a child

Cardiac involvement by systemic sarcoidosis is well known, but occurs rarely. It usually manifests as either heart block, heart failure due to direct myocardial involvement, or cor pulmonale. We present the case of a patient with cardiac sarcoidosis who had ventricular tachycardia and congestive heart failure. Although there was other organ system involvement, the cardiac manifestation was the first to become clinically apparent. Therapy consisted of quinidine sulfate to control the arrhythmias and chronic diuretic therapy to control congestive heart failure. Steroid therapy was initially associated with recurrence of the ventricular tachycardia and was discontinued. It was reinstituted 18 months later when other organ system involvement developed with no recurrence of the ventricular tachyarrhythmia. The patient responded well to therapy and is currently doing well. This case is presented to illustrate a somewhat unusual, but nevertheless important, etiology of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The recognition of underlying sarcoidosis is critical because of the propensity for other organ system involvement by this disease process.