Takotsubo syndrome, a condition that's also been called "broken heart syndrome," can be triggered by both positive and negative life stressors, especially in men, a new study suggests.
The findings show that although Takotsubo syndrome, a type of acute heart failure related to atypical patterns of transient left ventricular contraction abnormalities, is often triggered by negative emotional stressors, it can also stem from positive life events, something the researchers are calling "happy heart syndrome."
In this registry study, males were more likely to experience Takotsubo syndrome from a positive life event, as were those with atypical, nonapical ballooning, report Thomas Stiermaier, MD, of the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Lübeck, Germany, and colleagues.
Patients with negative and positive emotional triggers experienced similar short- and long-term outcomes, they found.
The results were published online May 4 in the JACC: Heart Failure.
Previous studies have shown that Takotsubo syndrome can be related to negative emotional triggers, physical triggers such as heavy physical activity or medical procedures (or, in some cases, neither of these), or even a combination of emotional and physical triggers, the authors say. Research shows that physical triggers are most often linked to poor outcomes.
A vast number of clinical scenarios may lead up to Takotsubo syndrome, noted Jason H.
