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. 2018;25(4):495-500.
doi: 10.5603/CJ.a2017.0136. Epub 2017 Nov 23.

Anxiety disorders and stressful events in Takotsubo syndrome

Davide Lazzeroni, Matteo Bini, Paolo Castiglioni, Luca Moderato  1 , Chiara Ciracì, Umberto Camaiora, Pietro Tito Ugolotti, Lorenzo Brambilla, Valerio Brambilla, Silvia Garibaldi, Letizia Paglialonga, Valentina Ziveri, Fabrizio Ugo, Nicola Gaibazzi, Paolo Coruzzi
Affiliations
Free article

Anxiety disorders and stressful events in Takotsubo syndrome

Davide Lazzeroni et al. Cardiol J. 2018.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Anxiety disorders are more common in Takotsubo syndrome (TS) than in acute coronary syndrome patients. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pre-existing anxiety disorders predispose to TS triggered by exclusively emotional stressful events.

Methods: Triggering events were compared in 58 TS patients with and without pre-existing anxiety disorders; clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data were also collected.

Results: Thirty-one (53%) patients had a previous history of anxiety disorders. The exclusively emotional stressful event-rate was higher in TS patients with pre-existing anxiety disorder (74% vs. 30%, p = 0.001), while TS caused by an undetermined trigger were significantly higher in patients without anxiety disorders (33% vs. 10%, p = 0.027). Moreover, in TS patients without a previous history of anxiety disorders, a trend of higher prevalence of physical events was found (16% vs. 37%, p = 0.07).

Conclusions: In patients with pre-existing anxiety disorders, TS was predominantly triggered by exclusively emotional stressful events, thereby suggesting a possible relationship between anxiety and emotional cardiac frailty in TS patients.

Keywords: Takotsubo syndrome; anxiety disorders; psychiatric disorders; stress cardiomyopathy; stressful events.

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