Can You Really Die Of A Broken Heart?

Many have pondered the answer to this question as they’ve physically felt like they were dying right after an emotional (or physical) situation.  Loss of a loved one, loss of a job, financial hardship, break-up/divorce are just a few major life events that have been known to cause a great deal of stress.  Some of us know couples where a significant other/spouse died, and the other died shortly after that.  In the absence of any preexisting medical conditions, one could intuitively come to the conclusion that stress could trigger a heart malfunction.

But, is there any science or a medical diagnosis that can quantitatively back this up?

In the early 1990s, Japanese doctors were the first to accurately describe what happens during a stress-induced episode.  It was initially named “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy” due to the similarities between the abnormal shape of a stress affected heart and a Japanese octopus trap.  In 2005, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore confirmed what Japanese researchers discovered and published their findings in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Referred to as stress-induced cardiomyopathy these days, this condition presents itself with all the symptoms of a heart attack.  But, that’s where the similarities end.  There is no blockage present in any of the arteries and there is little to no damage of the heart muscle tissue.   It usually affects older, post-menopausal women.  The cause is typically traced to some traumatic event (emotional or physical) which causes a sudden rush of stress chemicals such as adrenaline and epinephrine.  This leads to the characteristic abnormal shape of the heart and the symptoms that mimic an actual heart attack.  Fortunately, the vast majority of patients fully recover from broken heart syndrome with no adverse long term effects.

I firmly believe that there is a direct connection between how our body handles stress and its many physical manifestations.  This type of research that measures the biochemical effects of stress is finally starting to lend some credibility to this theory.  The old adage “an ounce of prevention…” is applicable to stress management as well.  A recent MSNBC article profiled a study that was published in the European Heart Journal. Researchers used a “happiness scale” to gauge future heart risk.  According to the study, “For every point on the happiness scale, people were 22 percent less likely to have a heart problem.”

Things will always happen to test our mettle, but the key is how we react to it.  Finding an effective coping mechanism is paramount to maintaining that good health you’ve worked so hard to attain.  The take home message is something that Bobby McFerrin might say - ”Don’t worry, be happy.”

Related posts:

1. How Would You Like To Be Worry Free?