Science
Study finds Takotsubo syndrome patients failed by current treatment
Heart treatments given to patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy do not protect them, according to the first ever study to compare these patients with heart attack patients and the general population over more than 5 years. The results of the study, funded by us, have been published today in the journal JACC: Advances.
Currently, there is no expert consensus how to treat Takotsubo syndrome. Instead, medicines used to treat other heart conditions, like heart failure and heart attacks, are used. However, Takotsubo syndrome is not the same as these heart conditions.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research Unit, led by Professor Dana Dawson, analysed health records from 3,720 people in Scotland and found that Takotsubo syndrome patients were prescribed the same medication as heart attack patients.
More likely to die
While this approach worked for heart attack patients, these medications did not improve the survival rate of those with Takotsubo syndrome – also known as ‘broken heart syndrome’. These patients were more likely to die than the general population and just as vulnerable to dying as patients who had suffered a heart attack.
The study used anonymised health data from Public Health Scotland – which can provide accurate data on patient treatment and follow-up, including medication prescribed across their lifetime.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, our Associate Medical Director, said: “These data from Scotland show that the diagnosis of Takotsubo, a condition more common for women, is linked to a higher chance of death in the long term.
“Patients surviving Takotsubo syndrome were treated much the same way as those surviving a heart attack - but unlike for heart attack survivors, being prescribed usual heart medications was of uncertain benefit. More research into Takotsubo could better reveal its causes and which treatments could save and improve lives.”
Difference from a heart attack
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy causes the left ventricle – the heart's main blood-plumping chamber – to change shape and get larger. This weakens the heart muscle and means it doesn't pump blood as well as it should.
It's usually triggered by extreme emotional or physical stress, including bereavement, grief, recent surgery or severe and sudden illness. But it’s estimated that around 30 per cent of people won't be able to identify the specific trigger that caused the condition.
Symptoms can often feel similar to heart attack symptoms, including sudden, intense chest pain or shortness of breath. But Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a different condition entirely and unlike a heart attack, patients don’t suffer from a blockage of the arteries that supply the heart with blood.
‘Not treating this correctly’
Upon identifying the treatment received by the Takotsubo syndrome patients, Professor Dawson said: “Our data shows quite starkly that we are not treating this condition correctly.
“It is vital that we identify precise ways to treat this unique group of people, and that is what we plan to do as we continue our research. This study has identified one drug as a potential breakthrough with promising therapeutic benefit, however, further research is needed to establish if this is the key to treating this devastating illness.”