Stress cardiomyopathies beyond Takotsubo: does a common catecholaminergic pathophysiology fit all?

Blood Biomarkers in Takotsubo Syndrome Point to an Emerging Role for Inflammaging in Endothelial Pathophysiology

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), an acute cardiac condition characterized by transient wall motion abnormalities mostly of the left ventricle, results in difficulties in diagnosing patients. We set out to present a detailed blood analysis of TTS patients analyzing novel markers to understand the development of TTS. Significant differences in proinflammatory cytokine expression patterns and sex steroid and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression levels were observed in the TTS patient collected. Remarkably, the measured catecholamine serum concentrations determined from TTS patient blood could be shown to be two orders of magnitude lower than the levels determined from experimentally induced TTS in laboratory animals. Consequently, the exposure of endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes in vitro to such catecholamine concentrations did not damage the cellular integrity or function of either endothelial cells forming the blood-brain barrier, endothelial cells derived from myocardium, or cardiomyocytes in vitro. Computational analysis was able to link the identified blood markers, specifically, the proinflammatory cytokines and glucocorticoid receptor GR to microRNA (miR) relevant in the ontogeny of TTS (miR-15) and inflammation (miR-21, miR-146a), respectively. Amongst the well-described risk factors of TTS (older age, female sex), inflammaging-related pathways were identified to add to these relevant risk factors or prediagnostic markers of TTS.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in a Nonagenarian With Urosepsis

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a rare but reversible myocardial left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, which mimics acute coronary syndrome (ACS) without the presence of significant coronary artery disease (CAD). Emotional stressors may include the death of kin or a life-threatening medical diagnosis whereas physical stressors include infections, endoscopic procedures, exacerbation of asthma, or systemic disorders. A 90-year-old female presented to the ED with nausea, intermittent chest heaviness, and generalized weakness for a duration of three days. Her troponin-I was elevated and an electrocardiogram (EKG) showed T-wave inversions in leads V2-V6 and no ST-segment changes. An echocardiogram (ECHO) revealed an ejection fraction (EF) of 35%-40% with anteroapical hypokinesis. She underwent cardiac catheterization showing nonobstructive CAD. She was diagnosed with pan-sensitive Escherichia coli urosepsis and started on ceftriaxone. She improved clinically and was discharged. A repeat ECHO done a month later showed normal EF. Urosepsis-induced TCM has rarely been reported in the literature. Physicians should have a high index of suspicion of TCM in patients with symptoms mimicking ACS in the presence of a physical stressor like an infection. We report the case of TCM, which resulted from a urinary tract infection (UTI) in an elderly female.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: Understanding the Pathophysiology of Selective Left Ventricular Involvement

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) has gained global recognition as a unique cardiovascular disease that mimics acute myocardial infarction. Since its initial description, more than three decades ago, we have significantly advanced our understanding of diagnosing, treating, and prognosticating this reversible cardiovascular phenomenon. However, the pathophysiological explanation behind its selective involvement of the left ventricle (LV), predominantly the LV apex in poorly understood. In this brief review on differential distribution of the adrenergic nerve (AN) and cholinergic nerve (CN) in the normal human heart, we try to extrapolate an idea of poor CN distribution in the LV apex as an associated factor augmenting microcirculatory dysfunction due to an unopposed AN activity from the catecholamine surge, as a plausible explanation for this characteristic phenomenon.

Isolated deep T-wave inversion on an electrocardiogram with normal wall motion

The electrocardiogram (ECG) of a 73-year-old, asymptomatic woman showed deep T-wave inversion. The complete workup was negative. Ten years later, she developed takotsubo cardiomyopathy with abnormal ECG again. Isolated deep T-wave inversion might be an aftereffect of takotsubo cardiomyopathy that does not warrant an invasive workup.