Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a clinical condition that mimics acute myocardial infarction (MI). More than 90% patients are women, mainly postmenopausal. Research suggests that up to 5% of women evaluated for a MI actually have TTS and that diagnose may be underestimated. Patients with TTS are generally able to fully recover within a period of days to weeks. However, serious, potentially fatal, complications may occur.
Methods: In 117 consecutive female patients hospitalized with TTS and 117 consecutive female patients with ST-segment elevation MI, we collected data regarding cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, and complications. We compared all in-hospital complications in both groups and analyzed factors influencing the composite endpoint which was cardiogenic shock and death from any cause.
Results: In our study patients with TTS had a lower incidence of serious complications compared to the ST-segment elevation MI group. Moreover, in-hospital mortality was also lower in the TTS group. The factors which influenced cardiogenic shock and death from any cause were: heart rate at admission, diastolic blood pressure at admission, C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration at admission, chest pain at admission, ST-segment depression in the electrocardiography at admission, and ejection fraction at admission. Moreover, patients with exacerbation of chronic disease as the cause of TTS also reached the composite endpoint more often.
Conclusions: Female patients with TTS had more favorable in-hospital prognoses than patients with ST-segment elevation MI. However, serious complications occurred. The factors which influenced the composite endpoint came from readily available data-within the first hour after admission to the hospital.
Keywords: comparison of TTS and STEMI; in-hospital TTS mortality; takotsubo syndrome; women's health.