Dying from a “broken heart” may sound dramatic—but it’s very much a real thing. If you’ve ever experienced a heartbreak so great that it causes your heart physical excruciating pain, you may actually be experiencing what doctors call broken heart syndrome.
The condition has been studied for years with no real conclusive findings about what can be done to treat it. But now, researchers may have new findings that get us one step closer to finding a cure.
What is broken heart syndrome?
Broken heart syndrome, which is more formally known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, occurs when the heart muscle weakens temporarily and causes similar serious health concerns to those of a heart attack. The term was first coined in Japan, where doctors found that part of the heart that balloons is similar in shape to an octopus trap. Literally meaning “octopus trap pot,” takotsubo cardiomyopathy typically occurs in the left ventricle (aka the top part) of the heart.
Because the symptoms of broken heart syndrome look very similar to those of a heart attack and other signs of heart failure, it has to be diagnosed by a doctor. Icilma Fergus, MD, director of cardiovascular disparities for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, explains that two tests, a blood test and a sonogram, are done to show if there is an abnormality in your blood that could indicate that the heart is damaged and an abnormality in how the heart looks. Broken heart syndrome is typically reversible when treated correctly. So when looking at the heart with a sonogram, a doctor can determine if the heart has the typical blockage that is associated with a heart attack or not, and if the abnormality will return to normal.
What triggers it is still somewhat unknown, though experts like Dr Fergus believe that a major stressful event, such as the death of a loved one, being fired from your job in times of economic distress, a monumental breakup, etc., could potentially cause your heart to physically weaken.
Studies have found that broken heart syndrome mostly affects older women in their 60s. But it is starting to occur in younger women as well, and the number of people who have been diagnosed with the condition has been increasing year to year since the early 2000s. While it’s not entirely clear why it mostly occurs in women and why more of them are dealing with broken heart syndrome, she says that it may have to do with one’s decreased estrogen levels or possibly being more susceptible to stress in general.
This also doesn’t mean that every stressful event may result in broken heart syndrome. She goes on to say that studies suggest that those who are dealing with this specific heart condition may also have a pre-existing condition or underlying predisposition to heart issues. “[That stressful event] can make your cortisol stress levels go up,” she says. “It can affect the sympathetic nervous system which causes these substances called catecholamines to skyrocket. [But] your heart can [also] malfunction because it [beats] too fast or it just doesn’t function well.”
