Takotsubo Italian Network: Italian Multicenter Observational Registry on Takostubo Syndrome

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) has recently been described as an acquired form of cardiomyopathy whose pathophysiology is not yet well understood and mainly affects postmenopausal women. TTS or "broken heart" syndrome was first described in Japan in 1991. The Japanese term "tako-tsubo" means "polyp vessel" and describes the morphology of the left ventricular apex during systole in patients with this condition. The onset usually follows physical or emotional stress and mimics that of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with a parade of symptoms, including chest pain, dyspnea, syncope, and nausea. Objective examination is often normal or otherwise nonspecific. ECG may document ST-T changes while echocardiogram shows areas of altered ventricular kinetics. Serum cardiac biomarkers may be increased. Currently, the gold standard method for the diagnosis of TTS is coronarography, which documents epicardial coronary arteries that are normal or free of critical lesions.

It is estimated that more than 2.5% of patients with a suspected diagnosis of ACS have TTS, and this number is probably underestimated. Although the prognosis of TTS is generally considered favorable, during the acute phase these patients can develop potentially fatal complications such as ventricular arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock, and heart rupture. Moreover, emerging scientific evidence sheds light on the need to adopt a dedicated diagnostic-therapeutic pathway for this type of patients.

The exact pathophysiology of TTS is still unknown and no large population studies or registries are currently available. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to better characterize the profile of this disease through the creation of a large registry.