Chromogranin-A serum levels in patients with takotsubo syndrome and ST elevation acute myocardial infarction

Background: Sympathergic hyperactivity is considered one of the main trigger precipitating takotsubo syndrome (TTS). Chromogranin-A (CgA), a prognostic biomarker of sympatho-adrenal activation, is markedly high in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and heart failure (HF), but its role in TTS is unknown. Methods: CgA serum levels from patients with TTS and symptoms onset <24 hours were consecutively evaluated and compared with anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients from November 2016 to December 2019. Short and long-term follow-up data were recorded. Results: Eleven women with TTS and 10 subjects with anterior STEMI were analyzed and compared; differences were not significant in terms of age, gender and cardiovascular risk factors. NT-pro-BNP levels were similar (9,887 ± 12,170 vs 8,969 ± 15,053 pg/ml, p = .88), while troponin-I levels were higher in patients with STEMI (4 ± 3.2 vs 13.3 ± 10 ng/dl, p = .03). CgA admission levels were significantly lower in TTS patients (2.2 ± 1.5 vs 7.3 ± 6.2 nMol/l, p = .017), even after multivariable correction for principal bias. CgA levels correlated with NTproBNP levels (p = .02) and were higher in subjects with in-hospital events (3.7 ± 1.1 vs 1.6 ± 1.2 nMol/l, p = .03), even after multivariable forward stepwise analysis (p < .01). CgA levels <3.25 nMol/l (AUC 0.754, 95% C.I. 0.54–0.968) were able to discriminate TTS from anterior STEMI (negative predictive power of 99%). Conclusions: Systemic CgA levels in the acute phase of TTS are lower than in anterior STEMI, possibly indicating a greater myocardial catecholamine release rather than adrenal.