Dying of a broken heart may sound like a metaphor for grief, but as it turns out, broken heart syndrome is a real – although temporary and often reversible – medical condition. Also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress cardiomyopathy, this condition occurs when an emotionally or physically stressful event causes the apex of the left ventricle of the heart to balloon, resulting in symptoms that mimic heart failure.
Symptoms and Causes
The most common symptoms of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy include chest pain, shortness of breath, and dizziness. Occasionally, patients may also feel generalized weakness or experience fainting spells. Because these symptoms overlap with those of heart attacks, an initial diagnosis of broken heart syndrome can often prove difficult.
But what causes this condition?
While we still do not fully understand how this disease develops or affects the body, scientists suspect that stress hormones – like epinephrine and norepinephrine – may play a role in causing the left ventricle of the heart to balloon. These hormones kick in as part of the body’s natural fight-or-flight stress response to elevate your heart rate and blood pressure. This is why stressful physical events – such as major surgery or a car accident – or stressful emotional events – like the passing of a loved one and severe anxiety or fear – have been identified as potential triggers for broken heart syndrome.
Risk Factors
Although anyone can suffer from broken heart syndrome, factors such as age, sex and psychiatric health affect your likelihood of developing this condition. Worldwide, 90% of patients affected by this condition are women, most of whom are postmenopausal. People who suffer from psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and panic disorder, are also more likely to develop this condition due to having higher chronic stress levels.
Treatment Options
The treatment of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy requires inpatient care with cardiology services and is mostly supportive in nature, focusing on managing symptoms such as blood pressure or fluid retention, often with medications like beta-blockers or diuretics. Normal ventricular function tends to return spontaneously over time and most patients (about 95%) can expect to make a full recovery within the span of a few weeks. However, the severity of this condition varies greatly from individual to individual, and in rare cases, complications such as arrhythmias or severe heart failure may result in death.
Overall, the general prognosis of broken heart syndrome is good, but patients should follow up with their healthcare provider to monitor recovery and minimize recurrence risks.
References
Boyd, B., & Solh, T. (2020). Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: review of broken heart syndrome. Jaapa, 33(3), 24-29.
Peters, M. N., George, P., & Irimpen, A. M. (2015). The broken heart syndrome: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Trends in cardiovascular medicine, 25(4), 351-357.
Mahajani, V., & Suratkal, V. (2016). Broken Heart Syndrome. The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India, 64(6), 60-63.
Peters, M. N., George, P., & Irimpen, A. M. (2015). The broken heart syndrome: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Trends in cardiovascular medicine, 25(4), 351-357. Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board