Chronic pharmacological treatment in takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
BACKGROUND
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a disorder that has been appreciated only recently. In most of reported cases, this syndrome mimes an acute myocardial infarction. Till this moment no data are available from literature about the treatment in the acute phase of this disease.


OBJECTIVE
In our multicentric experience we have retrospectively looked at the benefits of a treatment with ACE-inhibitors, beta-blockers, Aspirin and calcium channels blockers, started until the early phases of the disease and continued for 30 days, in 36 patients affected by Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. We chose as endpoint of the study the efficacy of the used drug in improving left ventricular myocardial function and the rapidity of the effects of the same drug.bethods: from an international registry about the Takotsubo cardiomiopathy, co-ordinate by our research group, we evaluated the long term efficacy of some drugs, administrated like single treatment in some patients.


RESULTS
Obtained data did not show any statistically significant difference in the percentages of improvement in the left ventricle ejection fraction evaluated at the admission to the hospital, before the discharge and after 30 days of treatment between each treated group and the control group of non-treated patients. No significant differences were found in hospitalization times between treated patients and controls. None of our patients experienced during the observation period a relapse of the disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of our survey suggest that a chronic treatment with beta-blockers, ACE-inhibitors, calcium channels blockers and aspirin does not provide any benefit in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Thus, it seem to be important an early correct differential diagnosis to avoid any chronic treatment in these patients.
Fazio
Giovanni
G
Pizzuto
Caterina
C
Barbaro
Giuseppe
G
Sutera
Loredana
L
Incalcaterra
Egle
E
Evola
Giovanna
G
Azzarelli
Salvatore
S
Palecek
Tomas
T
Di Gesaro
Gabriele
G
Cascio
Caterina
C
Novo
Giuseppina
G
Akashi
Yoshihiro J
YJ
Novo
Salvatore
S
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D054549:Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D001241:Aspirin