Of the 500 cases, 125 (25%) suffered from a systemic embolus. Thirty-seven of these (30%) had more than one embolus, the total number of embolic episodes being 173. Twenty-seven per cent of the group were men and 73% were women. The overall frequency of emboli was 25% for both men and women. Figure 1 shows the age at the time of the first embolus. It is apparent that while the maximum incidence is between the ages of 40 and 50 years, thirty-one of the patients were under the age of 40 and seven were under the age of 30 years. The increasing embolic incidence with age is associated with a rise in the incidence of atrial fibrillation. The by copyright.

No abstract

No abstract

Sarcoid of the heart has not been commonly reported in the United Kingdom. The author's personal experience suggested that it was not rare, and an inquiry among colleagues revealed a total of 50 cases, 20 of which were fatal and had necropsy confirmation. The diagnosis hadfrequently not been made in life.The clinical features of these cases are analysed and it is suggested that sarcoid infiltration of the myocardium should be considered in any unusualform of heart disease, particularly where disturbance of rhythm is prominent. Treatment with steroids should be tried in the active phase, but the degree of success will depend on the degree of the myocardial involvement. Treatment of rhythm disturbances should be carried out as necessary.