Dr S S Binu
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
Sree Gokulam Medical College, Venjaramood, Trivandrum
MBBS (1996), MD(General Medicine-2000), DNB(General Medicine-2002)
DM(Cardiology-2004)
FSCAI, FESC, FICC
Former President, Indian College of Cardiology(Kerala Chapter)

Takotsubo
Cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo Syndrome.

Broken heart syndrome, known officially as Takotsubo
Cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo Syndrome, is a sudden form of heart
disease. It's thought to be triggered by negative life events, such as
experiencing fear, grief, or conflict.
Patients can present with a clinical picture mimicking acute coronary
syndrome (Myocardial Infarction or Heart Attack) or acute heart failure.
The blood tests , ECG, Echocardiography may all resemble the
findings seen in typical acute coronary syndromes. But typically, a
coronary angiogram when performed shows no findings to correlate
with the clinical picture.
Previous reports have shown that Takotsubo syndrome can be caused
by negative emotional triggers, physical triggers such as
heavy physical activity or medical procedures or a combination of
emotional and physical triggers.
Research shows physical triggers are most often linked to bad
outcomes.
"Broken heart syndrome" may also happen after joyful life events, a
new study suggests. Researchers are calling it "Happy heart
syndrome.”
Notably, these patients were more often male. There was no difference
in overall outcomes between people with happy heart and broken
heart syndromes, the researchers found.
In a new study, the researchers assessed 2,482 patients using the
GErman-Italian-Spanish Takotsubo (GEIST) Registry, one of the largest
in the world of these cases, to compare triggers and outcomes of those
with broken and happy heart syndrome.The results were
published online May 4 in JACC: Heart Failure.
Of the 910 patients who had an emotional trigger, there were 37 in the
happy heart group and 873 in the broken heart group. The average age
was similar between the groups – about 70 years.
Patients with happy heart syndrome more often had abnormal ballooning
of the heart and were more often male (18.9% vs 5.0%) than those who
had a negative triggering event.
Broken heart and happy heart patients had similar long-term death
rates and complications in the hospital.Thus, extreme emotions, both negative and positive, can in rare cases
cause Takotsubo syndrome, although most patients who experience
sorrow or joy in their day-to-day life do not develop the condition.
Having emotions is part of human nature and not something easily
controllable. Therefore the common sense and practical approach is
that if you feel chest pain or pressure or feel that something is not right
with your heart, do not delay in seeking medical attention.