Anxiodepressive Disorders and Chronic Psychological Stress Are Associated With Tako-Tsubo Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Recent retrospective studies suggest that psychiatric disorders could be a predisposing risk factor for Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). The aim of the present study was to characterize the prevalence of anxiodepressive disorders (ADD) and chronic psychological stress (CPS) in patients with TTC or acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS AND RESULTS: Between January 2010 and December 2011, 45 consecutive patients with TTC were prospectively screened by systematic interview with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. CPS was systematically recorded. During the same period, 50 patients admitted for ACS with troponin elevation and matched for age and sex were prospectively included as a control group. An acute stressful event within 72 h before presentation was identified in 35 patients (78%) with TTC vs. 9 (18%) with ACS (P<0.001). Thirty-five patients (78%) and 13 (26%) had ADD in the TTC and ACS groups, respectively (P<0.001). CPS was found in 20 patients (44%) and in 9 (18%) with TTC and ACS, respectively (P=0.005). CPS and/or ADD were found in 35 patients (78%) and in 18 (36%) with TTC and ACS, respectively (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ADD and CPS are common in patients with TTC and more frequent than in patients with ACS. This finding suggests that systemic effects of ADD and CPS could participate in the pathophysiology of TTC.