Does Race Affect Pulmonary Pressure in Cardiac Sarcoidosis?

Data have suggested that non-white patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis have a greater risk of pulmonary hypertension, but racial disparities in sarcoidosis are unclear. A study presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2020 assessed differences in pulmonary pressure in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) by race and found no race-related differences in right heart pressures by echocardiogram and right heart catheterizations (RHC).

“The development of elevated pulmonary pressures in [patients with] CS may be multifactorial, driven by factors other than race,” the study authors stated.

To conduct their analysis, the researchers queried a multicenter registry of patients with CS who had clinical suspicion of CS and corroborating endocardial biopsy, PET scan, or cardiac MRI findings. They made comparisons of echocardiography and RHC results by race.

Of the 50 patients with echocardiographic and RHC data identified, 48% (n=24) were non-white. The mean age for white patients was 55 years and for non-white patients was 57 years (P=0.40). No significant between-group differences in baseline comorbidities were identified. Systolic function was similar between white and non-white patients (46 vs. 41; P=0.32), as was the proportion of pulmonary sarcoidosis (65% vs. 68%; P=0.83). White and non-white patients had similar right ventricular systolic pressure by echocardiography (37 vs. 39; P=0.77) and RHC (15.4 vs. 10.6; P=0.15), pulmonary vascular resistance (2.09 vs. 2.84; P=0.48), and mean pulmonary artery pressure (29.5 vs. 30.3; P=0.92).

“Although non-white patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis have been shown to have a higher incidence of elevated pulmonary pressures, there is no racial difference in pulmonary pressures among [patients with] CS,” the study authors concluded.