Impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami on the Incidence of Takotsubo Syndrome Using a Multicenter, Long-Term Regional Registry

• Published in: Circulation Journal Vol. 85; no. 10; pp. 1834 - 1839
• Main Authors: Toda, Nozomu, Itoh, Tomonori, Ishikawa, Yu, Nishiyama, Osamu, Nakajima, Satoshi, Yoshizawa, Michiko, Nakamura, Motoyuki, Maegawa, Yuko, Morino, Yoshihiro, Yoshizawa, Reisuke, Osaki, Takuya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Japanese Circulation Society 24.09.2021
• Subjects: Earthquakes; Great East Japan earthquake; Humans; Incidence; Japan - epidemiology; Registries; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy - epidemiology; Takotsubo syndrome; Tsunami; Tsunamis; Japan; Great East Japan earthquake; Tsunami; Takotsubo syndrome
• ISSN: 1346-9843; 1347-4820; 1347-4820
• DOI: 10.1253/circj.CJ-20-1044

Background:This study aimed to clarify the incidence of takotsubo syndrome (TTS) after the Great East Japan earthquake (GEJ-E) between inland and coastal areas.Methods and Results:Consecutive hospitalized patients with TTS were registered between 2009 and 2016 in Iwate Prefecture. Patients were divided into 2 groups, by whether they lived inland or in the coastal area (both max. seismic intensity, 6−). The incidence of TTS was calculated using the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) before and after the earthquake. The long-term prognosis of the 2 groups was compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis. A total of 112 patients with TTS were registered from the acute coronary syndrome records of each hospital (n=4,163); 9 patients with TTS were registered within 2 months of the earthquake. A significant monthly variation was observed in March and April 2011 compared with the other months (P=0.029). At 2 years after the earthquake, the SIR was significantly increased in the coastal area (P<0.01), but decreased after ≥3 years. There were no significant differences in the long-term prognosis between the 2 groups (P=0.20).Conclusions:The incidence of TTS was increased in the acute phase after the GEJ-E, particularly in the coastal area. The magnitude of the tsunami damage is presumed to be a factor in the increased incidence of TTS, even though the seismic intensity in both areas was comparable.