Happy heart syndrome. frequency, characteristics, and outcome of takotsubo syndrome triggered by positive life events

2021

Background: The association with a preceding stressor is a characteristic feature of takotsubo syndrome (TTS). Negative emotions before TTS are common and led to the popular term "broken heart syndrome." In contrast, pleasant triggers ("happy heart syndrome") are rare and are scarcely investigated. Objectives: The authors analyzed the frequency, clinical characteristics, and prognostic implications of positive emotional stressors in the multicenter GEIST (GErman-Italian-Spanish Takotsubo) Registry. Methods: Patients enrolled in the registry were categorized according to their stressors. This analysis compared patients with pleasant emotional events with patients with negative emotional even…