Prevalence of Takotsubo Syndrome among Patients Admitted to an Emergency Department

[Aim] : Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is identified in 1-3 % of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome and is a complication of various diseases. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence and clinical characteristics of TTS among patients admitted to the emergency department of a tertiary hospital. [Methods] : We conducted a post-hoc analysis of a single-center prospective observational study of all patients admitted to our emergency department between April 2003 and March 2014. The diagnosis of TTS was based on the Mayo diagnostic criteria.[Results] : Among 14,178 patients admitted, TTS was diagnosed in 33 patients (male, 36 % ; median age 76 (inter-quartile range, 70-80) years), with a prevalence rate of 0.23 %. The cases without preceding physical illness included 40 % of patients (the primary TTS group), and the cases with preceding physical illness included 60 % of patients (the secondary TTS group). Chest discomfort was the presenting symptom in only 25 % of patients in the secondary TTS group compared to 92 % in the primary TTS group (p