The first study to compare patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy with heart attack patients and the general population over five years has found that cardiac treatments given to patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy do not protect them. The results of our funded research were published today in JACC: Advances.

Currently, there is no expert consensus regarding the treatment of Takotsubo syndrome. Instead, drugs used to treat other heart conditions, such as heart failure and heart attacks, are used. However, Takotsubo syndrome is different from these heart diseases.

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen’s Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Unit, led by Professor Dana Dawson, analyzed the health records of 3,720 people in Scotland and found that patients with Takotsubo syndrome were prescribed the same drugs as those with heart attacks. It has been found.

more likely to die

While this approach worked for heart attack patients, these drugs did not improve survival for patients with Takotsubo syndrome, also known as “broken heart syndrome.” These patients were more likely to die than the general population and were as likely to die as patients who had a heart attack.

The study used anonymised health data from Public Health Scotland. This provides accurate data on patient treatment and follow-up, including lifelong prescription medications.

said Dr. Sonya Babu Narayan, our Associate Medical Director. “These data from Scotland show that a diagnosis of Takotsubo, a disease common in women, is associated with a higher likelihood of death in the long term.

“Patients who survived Takotsubo syndrome received much the same treatment as patients who survived a heart attack, but unlike patients who survived a heart attack, the usual prescription heart medications were of uncertain efficacy. About Takotsubo Further research will reveal more about its causes and which treatments can save and improve lives.”

Difference from heart attack

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy causes the left ventricle, the heart’s main blood pumping chamber, to change shape and enlarge. This weakens the heart muscle and prevents it from pumping enough blood.

It is usually caused by extreme mental or physical stress, such as bereavement, grief, recent surgery, or a serious sudden illness. However, it is estimated that about 30% of people cannot identify a specific trigger that caused this condition.

Symptoms are often similar to those of a heart attack, such as sudden, severe chest pain and shortness of breath. However, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a completely different condition, and unlike a heart attack, patients do not suffer from blockages in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

“We’re not handling this right.”

Identifying the treatment patients with Takotsubo syndrome received, Professor Dawson said: “Our data clearly shows that we are not treating this condition correctly.

“Identifying the exact way to treat this unique group of people is critical and that is what we plan to do as we continue our research. We have identified a breakthrough potential for efficacy, but further research is needed to establish whether this is the key to treating this devastating disease.”

Learn more about our research