Younger, Non-White Women With Sarcoidosis Have Pulmonary Hypertension

Among patients with sarcoidosis, non-White patients who are younger and women are at increased risk for pulmonary hypertension (PH), according to results of a study presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2022, held from November 5th through 7th, in Chicago, Illinois.

A risk factor of advanced sarcoidosis is PH, which in turn is associated with increased risk for mortality.

Investigators from the University of Florida conducted a nationwide, retrospective study to evaluate diagnostic and management strategies for PH in the setting of sarcoidosis. Data were sourced from a national registry associated with FSR-SARC (the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research). Participants responded to surveys about demographics, symptoms of sarcoidosis, PH status, and sarcoidosis treatments between 2014 and 2019.

Among the 3835 FSR-SARC participants, 211 (6%) had PH.

The PH cohort had a mean age of 42 (SD, 13) years, 66% were women, 60% were White, and 33% were Black. The patients with PH were younger (mean, 42 vs 44 years; P =.008), more were women (odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.0; P =.006), and fewer were White (P <.0001) compared with the patients who did not report PH.

The PH cohort reported receiving steroid (79%), cytotoxic (46%), and/or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor (19%) therapies. Having PH increased the likelihood of receiving TNF inhibitors (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.4; P =.004) and cytotoxic medications (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9; P =.008) compared with not having PH.

The major limitations of this study are the small sample size and the reliance on self-reported data.

These data indicated that, among patients with sarcoidosis, those who were younger, non-White, and/or women were at greater risk for developing PH. The presence of PH increased the likelihood of receiving more aggressive sarcoidosis treatments, including TNF inhibitors and cytotoxic medications.