Stress cardiomyopathy syndrome: a contemporary review

Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2009 Dec;6(4):265-71. doi: 10.1007/s11897-009-0036-2.

Abstract

Stress cardiomyopathy (SC) syndrome represents a reversible form of cardiomyopathy that commonly presents proximate to an acute emotional or physiologic stressor. The clinical presentation is similar to an acute coronary syndrome in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease to explain the unusual distribution of associated transient wall motion abnormalities. Postmenopausal women seem particularly prone to SC for unclear reasons. The pathophysiology of the syndrome is unknown but may involve pathologic sympathetic myocardial stimulation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cardiac Catheterization
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Echocardiography
  • Electrocardiography
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Prognosis
  • Stress, Psychological / complications*
  • Syndrome
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy* / diagnosis
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy* / etiology
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy* / physiopathology
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
  • Ventricular Function, Right / physiology*