Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: Japanese perspective.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is likely induced by stress, and postmenopausal women account for the majority of patients. Several questions about takotsubo cardiomyopathy remain unanswered, including why it is induced by stress, what differentiates the stress that induces this disease from other types of stress that do not induce it, why women are more likely to develop this disease, why the apical part of the heart is affected, and how it is different from the subtype in which the base and middle parts are affected. Although takotsubo cardiomyopathy is uncommon, clinicians should be aware that this disease can develop in wider areas.