Vol 19, No 1 (2012)
Case Reports
Published online: 2012-02-02
Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy precipitated by alcohol withdrawal
Cardiol J 2012;19(1):81-85.
Abstract
A 57 year-old woman with no history of cardiac disease presented to the emergency department
with confusion and seizures secondary to alcohol withdrawal. Elevated troponin levels and an
electrocardiogram demonstrating global T-wave inversions prompted coronary angiography,
which revealed coronary vessels free of significant disease. An echocardiogram showed both
hypokinesis of the left-ventricular mid-segments with apical involvement and a hyperkinetic
base consistent with tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM). Several clinical conditions have been
reported as triggers of TCM. We report a case of TCM in a post-menopausal woman that was
precipitated by alcohol withdrawal. (Cardiol J 2012; 19, 1: 81–85)
Keywords: tako-tsubo cardiomyopathytransient apical ballooningstress-induced cardiomyopathyalcohol withdrawal