Trends in Hospitalizations for Cardiac Sarcoidosis in the United States, 2005-2011.

BACKGROUND

Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a life-threatening disease that is frequently under-diagnosed.

METHODS AND

RESULTS

We used a nationwide inpatient sample to identify CS patients from 2005 to 2011 in the USA. The annual admissions of CS increased from 1,108 in 2005 to 2,182 in 2011, representing a 2-fold rise over a short time. The proportions of CS patients with severe comorbidities, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation and heart failure all increased from 2005 to 2011. However, the in-hospital mortality rate declined.

CONCLUSIONS

An increasing trend of CS was observed. Cardiologists should notice that CS is not as rare as thought.