Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society
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Takotsubo syndrome is a recently recognized acute cardiac disease entity with a clinical presentation resembling that of an acute coronary syndrome. The typical takotsubo syndrome patient has a unique circumferential left (bi-) ventricular contraction abnormality profile that extends beyond a coronary artery supply territory and appears to follow the anatomical cardiac sympathetic innervation. The syndrome predominantly affects postmenopausal women and is often preceded by emotional or physical stress. ⋯ The syndrome is usually reversible; nevertheless, during the acute stage, a substantial number of patients develop severe complications such as arrhythmias, heart failure including pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock, thromboembolism, cardiac arrest, and rupture. Treatment of precipitating factors, predisposing diseases, and complications is fundamental during the acute stage of the disease. The epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management of takotsubo syndrome are reviewed in this paper.