Written by Nicole Bout
Have you ever heard of the phrase “to die of a broken heart”? While many wonder if it's true, doctors use this phrase while referring to a temporary heart condition, ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’. This means that it might actually be possible for someone to die of a broken heart. Fascinating! Isn’t it!?
Here’s a little more information for you to properly digest this absolutely mind-blowing concept - ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’ also referred to as stress cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning syndrome, is a temporary heart condition that occurs when stress causes dysfunction or failure of the heart muscle. If a person is suffering from Broken Heart Syndrome (BHS) it means that there is an inadequate amount of blood being provided to the heart due to the temporary weakening of the left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart), which causes it to stop pumping well. This temporary weakening of the left ventricle is usually caused by the release of stress hormones (catecholamines) like adrenaline or norepinephrine which when released cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, making the heart work faster. This in turn can cause chest pain and momentary "freezing" or "stunning" of the heart which results in circulation problems.
Even today doctors haven’t been able to pinpoint what might be the exact cause of BHS however a few of them deduced so far include: surgery, serious illnesses, car accidents, and emotional memories as each of these situations can be considered a stressful one. Drugs like Epinephrine, Duloxetine, Venlafaxine and Levothyroxine which are usually prescribed for the treatment of other medical problems can also cause a surge of stress hormones which also leads to the person suffering from circulation problems.
Many who experience this condition mistake it for a heart attack because the symptoms of both seem similar including: angina, shortness of breath, Arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock, fainting and low blood pressure. However there are many differences between the two. A heart attack occurs due to blockages and blood clots forming in the coronary arteries. These clots cut off the blood supply to the heart and if it remains cut off for too long this causes some heart cells to die, leaving the heart with permanent and irreversible damage. While in this condition the coronary arteries function normally, there are no blood clots or blockages and the heart cells of the patients are “stunned” by the stress hormones not killed. Moreover this condition is only temporary and does not permanently damage the heart of the person who suffers from it unlike in the case of a heart attack.
Hence making an accurate diagnosis of the patient's condition is always tricky but because of the technological advancements in today’s world patients can be tested through a variety of tests before being diagnosed. Particularly to check if a patient is suffering from BHS doctors can make use of an electrocardiogram, coronary angiography, cardiac MRI, echocardiography, blood test or even something as simple as a chest X-ray. Once diagnosed with it, they are treated with medicines that help lower blood pressure like ACE inhibitors, beta blockers to slow down the heart rate, diuretics to decrease fluid build up and anti-anxiety medicines to manage stress. It is a common misconception that methods like angioplasty and stent are used to help treat this condition however they are not required here as their purpose is to treat blocked arteries, something that does not happen in Broken Heart Syndrome.
However scary this disorder may seem to be, it's important to know that this heart condition is incredibly rare and even if a person does have it they usually recover in 4-8 weeks time. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute estimated that out of the 1.2 million people who had myocardial infarction in 2007 in the U.S. only 1% of the patients experienced Broken Heart Syndrome. Another interesting finding by Harvard stated that 5% of women who are suspected of having a heart attack have this disorder. Other studies have shown that this condition is more common in women than men usually postmenopause and it’s also more common in people who have a history of a neurological or psychiatric disorder.
Lastly, some fun facts on BHS:
1) This heart condition got its other name ‘Takotsubo cardiomyopathy’ in 1990 when a Japanese physician used the term after imaging the heart of an affected patient and on seeing the misshapen ventricle that had ballooned out instead of contracting during systole (the part of the heart’s pumping cycle when it pushes blood out to the rest of the body).“Tako-tsubo” is a ceramic pot Japanese fishermen use to trap octopus which is what the physician thought the heart resembled.
2) It has been only over 10 years since it’s been recognised in Australia.
3)An estimate of 20 people from the 2011 Christchurch earthquake suffered and died from Broken Heart syndrome.
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