Risk of cardiovascular disease among patients with sarcoidosis: a population-based retrospective cohort study, 1976–2013

Abstract

A higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been observed in several chronic inflammatory diseases. However, data on sarcoidosis are limited.In this study, 345 patients with incident sarcoidosis in Olmsted County (Minnesota, USA) during 1976–2013 were identified based on comprehensive medical record review. 345 sex- and age-matched comparators were also identified from the same underlying population. Medical records were individually reviewed for CVD, including coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, cerebrovascular accident, transient ischaemic attack, peripheral arterial disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for age, sex, calendar year and cardiovascular risk factors were used to compare the rate of development of CVD between cases and comparators.The prevalence of CVD before the index date was not significantly different between the two groups. Adjusting for age, sex and calendar year, the risk of incident CVD after the index date was significantly elevated among patients with sarcoidosis with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.57 (95% CI 1.15–2.16). Adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors yielded an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.65 (95% CI 1.08–2.53). Significantly increased risk was also observed for several types of CVD, including coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation and cerebrovascular accident.Increased incidence of CVD among patients with sarcoidosis was demonstrated in this population-based cohort, even after controlling for baseline traditional atherosclerotic risk factors.