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Incidence of takotsubo cardiomyopathy increasing among US women
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The incidence and diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy increased from 2006 to 2012, especially among U.S. women aged 65 to 84 years, according to findings published in the American Journal of Cardiology.
Anum S. Minhas, MD, from the department of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, and colleagues noted that there are few documented studies on the incidence of takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the United States, but diagnoses were more than 19 times higher in 2012 than in 2006.
Anum S. Minhas
Minhas and colleagues examined nationwide trends in the incidence and principal diagnoses of takotsubo cardiomyopathy from 2006 to 2012 using data from approximately 1,000 hospitals within the National Inpatient Sample database. The researchers analyzed the mean length of hospital stay, sex, age categories (18-44 years, 45-64 years, 65-84 years and ≥ 85 years), estimated total number of discharges and in-hospital death rates.
The incidence of takotsubo cardiomyopathy increased from 315 cases in 2006 to 6,230 cases in 2012 (P < .001).Women aged 65 to 84 years accounted for more than 90% of the diagnoses, according to the researchers. The incidence among men remained low and fairly stable during the study period. Although reasons for the increased incidence in women have not been determined, the researchers suggested that estrogen may be cardioprotective, which may lead to a higher risk for takotsubo cardiomyopathy in postmenopausal women, who have lower estrogen levels.
The mean length of hospital stay for takotsubo cardiomyopathy remained stable, from 3.4 days in 2006 to 3.6 days in 2012 (P = .74).
Patients aged 65 to 84 years had the most frequent diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. In 2012, this age group accounted for 50% of all diagnoses, followed by patients aged 45 to 64 years, who accounted for 39% of all diagnoses in 2012.
The researchers noted several limitations of this study, including use of a sample of reported diagnoses and relying on use of proper coding at each hospital.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy generally has a favorable prognosis and low recurrence (2% to 5%), but it is important to diagnosis the condition promptly and accurately, especially for postmenopausal women, the researchers wrote.
“Takotsubo cardiomyopathy has increased significantly from 2006 to 2012 most likely because of increasing recognition of the syndrome,” Minhas and colleagues wrote. “The correct diagnosis has important implications for both [its] management and prognosis.” – by Trish Shea, MA
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosure.
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