Case report: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a patient with Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Context: The Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an acute cardiac dysfunction, clinically similar to myocardial ischemia, more common in postmenopausal women and related to emotional stress. Case report: A 71-year-old female patient, with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), sought emergency care after severe chest pain. Electrocardiogram showed ST segment elevation in the anteroseptal wall. Physical exam: HR=108bpm, PA=126x78mmHg, SaO2=6%. Complementary exams showed a mild lesion in the middle third of the anterior descending artery, moderate impairment of left ventricular (LV) function by apical aneurysm without thrombi, mitral prolapse with mild reflux and an ejection fraction of 37%, suspecting of TTC. Conclusions: TTC is defined as a transient, usually reversible and segmental LV dysfunction, configuring a differential diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. An overactivation of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system can cause catecholamine toxicity to the heart. Although several studies show a lower emotional response capacity in patients with cognitive impairment, more recent studies suggest that this emotional responsiveness is not so affected by dementia. Therefore, patients with AD may be susceptible to developing TTC, both because of the multiple drugs that they are exposed, increasing catecholamine levels, and because of the disease itself, that represents a stressful context. Thus, TTC is often associated with emotional stress and should not be overlooked in patients with AD.