Acute and Reversible Cardiomyopathy Provoked by Stress in Women From the United States

BACKGROUND: A clinical entity characterized by acute but rapidly reversible left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and triggered by psychological stress is emerging, with reports largely confined to Japan. METHODS AND RESULTS: Over a 32-month period, 22 consecutive patients with this novel cardiomyopathy were prospectively identified within a community-based practice in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn, area. All patients were women aged 32 to 89 years old (mean 65+/-13 years); 21 (96%) were > or =50 years of age. The syndrome is characterized by (1) acute substernal chest pain with ST-segment elevation and/or T-wave inversion; (2) absence of significant coronary arterial narrowing by angiography; (3)…