G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 polymorphism and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy

Background Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an increasingly reported clinical syndrome that mimics acute myocardial infarction without obstructive coronary artery disease and is characterized by transient systolic dysfunction of the apical and/or mid-segments of the left ventricle. The syndrome mainly occurs in postmenopausal women with high adrenergic state conditions. Nowadays, the pathophysiology of TTC is not yet known and the possibility of a genetic predisposition is controversial.Aims The purpose of this study was to assess the genetic susceptibility to TTC through analysis of the L41Q polymorphism of the G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5).Methods and results In a cohort of 20 patients enrolled in two tertiary Italian centers with diagnosis of TTC, accordingly to the commonly accepted Mayo Clinic criteria and in 22 healthy individuals (control) we have evaluated the polymorphism in GRK5 gene. The TTC patients had a mean age of 65 +/- 9 years and 19 of 20 were women. The presence of one or two L41 alleles of GRK5 was significantly more frequent in TTC group than in the control group (40 vs. 8%, P = 0.0372).Conclusion In our study, we have found a significant difference in the frequency of GRK5 polymorphism between TTC patients and controls, supporting a genetic predisposition to this cardiac syndrome.