Leslie T. Cooper, Jr., M.D.

The purpose of this research is to study immune cells called T cells and monocytes (types of blood cells that fight infection and can also cause autoimmune disease) that may damage heart tissue during myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). Cytokines (proteins that send signals between cells) found in the blood will be studied for their effects on blood immune cells to better understand how they can lead to heart failure during and after myocarditis.

Aims, purpose, or objectives:

1. Develop a retrospective registry of patients with cardiac sarcoidosis
2. Develop a prospective registry of patients with cardiac sarcoidosis
3. Understand the natural history of cardiac sarcoidosis through evaluation of outcomes of patients in the registry
4. Determine risk factors for sarcoid involvement of the heart
5. Evaluate outcomes of patients both treated and untreated with cardiac sarcoidosis
6. Understand the complications of untreated and treated cardiac sarcoidosis

Aims, purpose, or objectives:

1. Develop a retrospective registry of patients with cardiac sarcoidosis
2. Develop a prospective registry of patients with cardiac sarcoidosis
3. Understand the natural history of cardiac sarcoidosis through evaluation of outcomes of patients in the registry
4. Determine risk factors for sarcoid involvement of the heart
5. Evaluate outcomes of patients both treated and untreated with cardiac sarcoidosis
6. Understand the complications of untreated and treated cardiac sarcoidosis

The purpose of this study is to validate measures of depression, anxiety, traumatic stress, and factors related to these outcomes in medical patients, to develop a model for identifying persons with myocarditis who are at risk for depressive and anxiety disorders (clinically significant depressive and anxious symptoms), and for examining the effects of anxiety and depression on quality of life and health outcomes in respondents with myocarditis and caregivers.