Increased incidence of transient left ventricular apical ballooning (so-called 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy) after the mid-Niigata Prefecture earthquake.
Sato M, Fujita S, Saito A, Ikeda Y, Kitazawa H, Takahashi M, Ishiguro J, Okabe M, Nakamura Y, Nagai T, Watanabe H, Kodama M, Aizawa Y.
Cardiovascular Center, Tachikawa General Hospital, and Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Science, Japan. masahisatou-circ@umin.ac.jp
BACKGROUND: On October 23, 2004, a major earthquake, which registered 6.8 on the Richter scale, occurred in Niigata Prefecture in Japan. Emotional stress is important as a trigger of transient left ventricular apical ballooning (so-called 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy), but its incidence and clinical profile immediately after a natural disaster have not been fully elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS: 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy was diagnosed in 16 patients (1 man, 15 women, mean age 71.5 years) within 1 month after the earthquake. Of them, 13 (81%) lived in areas where the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale registered 6 or above, and 11 (69%) developed symptoms on the day of the earthquake. The incidence of 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy 1 month after the earthquake was approximately 24-fold higher near the epicenter than that before the earthquake. CONCLUSION: 'Takotsubo' cardiomyopathy can occur on the day of the earthquake in elderly women living near the epicenter.
PMID: 16864923 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]