More evidence links broken heart syndrome to cancer. (Courtesy American Heart Association News via AP)
It turns out that you really can suffer or die from a broken heart.
Researchers at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found that more and more Americans are diagnosed with broken heart syndrome, also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress cardiomyopathy.
“Although the global COVID-19 pandemic has posed many challenges and stressors for women, our research suggests that the increase in Takotsubo diagnoses increased long before the public health outbreak,” said lead study author Dr. Susan Cheng in a press release. “This study further confirms the critical role the heart-brain connection plays in overall health, especially for women.”
The study found that annual rates have increased for both men and women. However, women aged 50 to 74 made up over 80% of these cases.
“It’s not clear why, but it appears to predominantly affect women, especially postmenopausal women,” said Dr. Austin Goebel, psychiatrist at Ogden Regional Medical Center Behavioral Health. “There is also evidence that people with anxiety, mood swings, or neurological disorders such as headaches or seizures may be at increased risk.”
Dr. Konstantyn Szwajkun, a cardiovascular physician with Northern Utah Cardiovascular Associates, said the syndrome was first recognized in Japan in 1990. He said in his experience that about 5% of his patients with unstable heart symptoms are more likely to have broken heart syndrome than the typical problem of blocked arteries.
“One of the names for this condition is broken heart syndrome, as around 40% of patients report a severe emotional trigger such as grief or the loss of a loved one,” said Szwajkun. “Other triggers can be serious illnesses such as recovery after an operation, broken bones, infections or strokes.”
Cheng agreed, noting that the brain and nervous system, especially in women, change with age.
“There is likely a tipping point shortly after mid-life when an excessive response to stress can affect the heart,” Cheng said. “Women in this situation are particularly hard hit and the risk seems to be increasing.”
Szwajkun said the symptoms are indistinguishable from a real heart attack, which includes chest pain, fainting, or shortness of breath.
“Since the symptoms and many of the findings are similar, the diagnosis usually has to be made with an angiogram of the cardiac arteries. When done, it usually shows arteries that are free of critical blockages, ”he said. “Heart attack means harm in the layman’s terms. Stress and grief can play a role, but the underlying mechanism is believed to be a sudden surge of adrenaline due to grief or some other disease that damages the heart muscle. “
Although most people recover within a few months and have no long-term symptoms, Goebel and Szwajkun said that some patients may have blood pressure problems that need to be monitored closely. Approximately 7% of patients such as the elderly, the frail or the chronically ill lose their life to the syndrome.
Unfortunately, Goebel said that because broken heart syndrome is not well understood, there is no known way to prevent it.
“I would guess that better stress management wouldn’t hurt. It would also likely be helpful to see a therapist or other mental health provider once they are medically stable to help them better cope with the stressful event that led to that event, ”he said. “General cardiac health activities such as exercise, eating well, and not smoking would also be beneficial.”
The study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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