Status migrainosus as a potential stressor leading to takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a form of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy that may be acutely precipitated by stress. A number of neurologic conditions have been implicated in precipitating this disease such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, stroke, and seizures. Its association with status migrainosus, however, has never been described before.

CASE: We report a case of a 25-year-old female presenting with status migrainosus followed by takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Supportive management was instituted in this patient and she made an excellent recovery.

CONCLUSION

The intense pain associated with migraine may have acted as a stressor, thereby precipitating takotsubo cardiomyopathy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case demonstrating a relationship between status migrainosus and takotsubo cardiomyopathy.