Each and every organ of our body is important. These organs are working day and night constantly to maintain normal function of human body. Still we consider some of those organs special, like: brain, heart, kidney.
Heart is that part of human body,about what all of us are always concerned. We are familiar to some cardiac diseases like: heart attack, heart failure etc. Some of these are associated with dyslipidemia,some are linked with other diseases,some are congenital. Today I am going to tell you about a different and comparatively newer heart condition which is strongly related with your stresses- “Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy”.
What is Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy?
A reversible and acute cardiac condition where weakening of left ventricle of heart happens.
The japanese word “takotsubo” means “octopus trap” as the shape of heart resembles like the pot for octopus trap.
Features of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy
Clinical presentations are mostly like heart attack. Presenting features are chest pain, shortness of breath,nausea, syncope.
Who are at higher risk?
Post menopausal women are the vulnerable group. Male-female ratio is 1:9.
Causes of this cardiomyopathy
This condition is almost always triggered by stress. That’s why it is also known as Stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Broken heart syndrome. Stress can be either physical or mental or both.
There are wide range of stressors e.g. illness, surgery or medical conditions, emotional turmoil, fall of Blood pressure, asthma attack, receiving bad news, domestic violence, fear, different anti-neoplastic drugs.
Stress hormone(e.g.adrenaline) surge triggers the changes in heart muscle. Estrogen deficiency, previous neurological condition like- subarachnoid hemorrhage, migraine headache, stroke, epileptic disorder, restless leg syndrome, are associated with it.
Findings
ECG mimics as myocardial infarction or heart attack. ST elevation, T inversion.
Echocardiogram shows wall motion abnormality. Akinesia of apex of heart. LVEF is about 20%-35%.
Cardiac markers rises rapidly but in small quantity, on the other hand, in Acute coronary syndrome peak is higher but slowly.
Treatment
Though Beta-blocker, ACE inhibitor are mainstay of treatment. Patient is recovered within 4 weeks to 6 weeks. Prolonged duration for recovery is associated with recurrence.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is strongly related to stress, anxiety, fear, emotion. It is an under-diagnosed disease with lots of unanswered questions. Relationship between Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and chemotherapy agents are on recent research. I’ll write in brief about that next time.
Healthy we 