Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (T(p)-T(e)) may correspond to malignant ventricular arrhythmias. In this study we aimed to assess T(p)-T(e) variability and investigate the transmural dispersion of repolarisation in pulmonary sarcoidosis disease without proofed cardiac involvement. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study that included patients who had a pathologic and radiologic diagnosis of sarcoidosis. All data of the patients' demographic features and electrocardiographs were analysed. RESULTS: We enrolled 78 patients with sarcoidosis and 54 healthy volunteers as controls in our study. Men comprised 36% of the sarcoidosis group and 27% of controls. The mean age in the sarcoidosis and control group was 45.4 ±8.7 years (range: 23-58 years) and 44.6 ±11.9 years (range: 21-73 years), respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups for age or sex (p = 0.654, p = 0.246, respectively). There was a significant increase in T(p)-T(e) results in all precordial leads in the sarcoidosis group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary sarcoidosis is suspected to have cardiac involvement; therefore, we need to develop new approaches. We present strong evidence that T(p)-T(e) intervals were increased in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, which suggests that there may be a link between sarcoidosis and ventricular arrhythmias without proofed cardiac involvement.