Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment?

This disturbance of the cardiovascular system is usually short-lived and is enhanced by stress.

The heart is one of the most important organs in our body, since it carries oxygen and nutrients through the cardiovascular system that each and every organ of the body needs to survive.

However, as with all other organs, the heart can be affected by multiple factors. And we are not only talking about pathogens, but even emotional aspects can influence it and even generate cardiac events and diseases. This is what happens with the broken heart syndrome or tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, which we are going to talk about in this article.about which we are going to speak throughout the present article.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy: what is it?

The term tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy or transient apical dyskinesia is used to describe a type of coronary artery disease characterized by the presence of temporary left ventricular dysfunction. a type of coronary pathology characterized by the presence of a temporary dysfunction of the left ventricle, which develops an abnormal heartbeat in the absence of blockage of the arteries or a transient apical dyskinesia.It is a weakening of the left ventricle, which happens to have an abnormal heartbeat in the absence of blockage of the arteries or a lesion that explains such behavior.

It is a weakening of the cardiac muscle, which presents hypokinesia or akinesia in the most apical parts (at the end of the ventricle the muscle loses part or all of its mobility).

The ventricle in question presents a peculiar morphology, with a bulge in the lower part or tip of the ventricle or balloon-shaped tip of the ventricle (another of its names is transient apical ballooning syndrome) that makes it look similar to the traditional Japanese octopus pots that give this disorder its name (takotsubo).

This temporary alteration is also known as broken heart syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy, because a considerable proportion of cases come from the experience of situations of severe stress or emotional pain, such as those caused by the death of a loved one, an unexpected breakup, the diagnosis of a disease that is feared, or the experience of intimate partner violence.

The symptomatology is very similar to that of an acute coronary syndrome or a heart attackThe symptoms are very similar to those of an acute coronary syndrome or a heart attack: chest pain and heart failure, and there is also an increase in cardiac biomarkers and alterations in the heart rhythm visible on electrocardiogram. The big difference is that in this case the arteries are not blocked, although the Blood supply may be reduced. It is a pathology that can appear in people of both sexes and at any age, although it is more frequent among women between fifty and seventy years of age.

Although it is generally a temporary disorder that can become normal on its own and with a very favorable prognosis, it is true that although it is not common, complications can sometimes occur. sometimes complications may occur, such as (among others) such as (among others) ventricular fibrillation or cardiogenic shock, heart failure, thrombus formation, mitral regurgitation, arrhythmias or rupture of the ventricle wall.

Main causes and explanatory hypotheses

Although the causes of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy are not completely known in all cases and further research is needed, some typical causes of tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy are known. some typical causes of this disorder are known..

One of the most validated explanatory theories refers to the fact that most of the cases of this disorder can be explained by the presence of high levels of catecholamines in the blood (something that has been found in more than 70% of the cases), at levels that can reach 34 times the usual ones. We are talking mainly about adrenaline, a hormone that generates excitation and activation of the sympathetic system and therefore generates the activation of the organism.

In turn, this increase is originated in many cases by the experience of severe stress. the experience of severe stresswhich can be either emotional (a loss, a fright, unexpected and heartbreaking news...) or physical (which have been localized in about 50% of the cases, of which about 27% have emotional causes).

Other theories propose the presence of occlusive microvascular spasm as an explanation for this temporary situation, generating a brief ischemia, the presence of an anomalous orientation of the mitral valve that generates ventricular outflow obstruction, or the presence of deficiencies in coronary microvascularization.

Treatment of this pathology

As mentioned above, tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is a transient disease that generally resolves on its own without leaving sequelae, with complete recovery in 95% of patients with tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy. complete recovery in 95% of cases in about one to two months.. However, when symptoms appear, it is essential to go urgently to a hospital, since the symptoms are indistinguishable at first sight from other much more dangerous coronary disorders.

As far as treatment is concerned, as a general rule the solution would be to keep the subject hydrated and reduce or eliminate as far as possible the possible stressors that may have provoked the syndrome. It is also possible to administer beta adrenergic blockers or alpha adrenergic agonists together with angiotensin converting enzyme, in order to facilitate blood flow in the acute phase as well as recovery. Likewise, in case of complications, these should be treated differentially depending on the type of anomaly that may occur.