What is Broken Heart Syndrome?

Broken heart syndrome is a term that refers to stress-related illness or death that occurs after a major loss or other event. Most notably, it refers to the phenomenon that occurs in older married couples. When one spouse passes away, it is not uncommon for the surviving spouse to pass away shortly after.

 

This condition is also referred to as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

 

Current research into this illness indicates that between 2016 and 2020, the death rate remained at a higher than expected level. Now, researchers are trying to look into why this happened, and what can be done to help people in the future.

 

 

The research included a sample of over 200,000 adults. The team found that the rate of death and complications from broken heart syndrome remained unchanged during the 2016-2020 timeframe. The results here underscore how little is understood regarding this condition–and also how much potential there is for helping people moving forward that still exists.

 

Right now, researchers into this condition believe that it occurs because of a surge in stress hormones. This is a natural reaction to a physically or emotionally difficult event. The death of a loved one, divorce, financial problems, and other life events can trigger this reaction. It leads to short term, but very severe, failure in heart muscle. Oftentimes, broken heart syndrome is misdiagnosed as a heart attack because of this. It looks outwardly like a heart attack, and even shows up on many tests as being identical to a heart attack. But because of the originating circumstances, it is a different condition.

 

The issue is often fatal, but not always. And this underscores the importance of awareness and proper treatment. The team was surprised to see that death rates were unchanged during this timeframe, even though there have been big gains in the medical field over this period. 

 

They also found that death rates for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy were much higher for men than women. Men were more than twice as likely to pass away from this as women. Factors such as race, socioeconomic factors, and hospital quality and size varied widely. However, they did point out that white men were the most likely to be impacted.

 

The team, based out of the University of Arizona, published their findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association. It’s a step in the right direction when it comes to improving heart health. Hopefully, it leads to more advances in the future so that seniors can live longer, healthier lives.

 

Don’t forget that we’re here to help you and your family. If you have questions about where in-home care fits in with your family’s overall health, we’d be happy to help out. We know just how stressful and overwhelming looking for the right care resources can be. We know how big of a toll this process can take.

 

That’s why we do what we do. We offer free consultation sessions designed to get down into the details of your unique situation and give you customized advice so that you can get connected with the right resources for your unique situation.