Stress Cardiomyopathy Triggered by Status Epilepticus Secondary to Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis: Case Report and Literature Review

Stress cardiomyopathy (SCM) occurs in approximately 1% of patients presenting with troponin-positive suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We present here a 50-year-old female who presented to the emergency department (ED) with altered mental status. In the hospital, she was found to have status epilepticus (SE) secondary to Herpes simplex virus encephalitis. Her hospital stay was complicated by high troponins and a transthoracic echocardiogram showed reduced ejection fraction and wall motion abnormality. Repeat echo five days later showed normal ventricular systolic function with no wall motion abnormality. Extensive ischemia workup was negative. A diagnosis of stress cardiomyopathy has been made. We urge physicians to include SCM in their differential diagnosis especially in cases of status epilepticus in order to avoid invasive procedures and for better management of patients.