For some, “my heart is broken” is not just a metaphorical expression of grief over the separation of a lover, but may be a real description of what they feel as a result of emotional stress or going through difficult situations, a scientific syndrome called “broken heart syndrome” or as it is known in the scientific community as “illness.” Takotsubo Cardiac.
The name of the disorder may seem strange, but it is Japanese used to describe the circular bowl with a bottom that is narrow from the neck, and the Japanese use it to catch octopuses and make a trap to trap them, and because the shape of this bowl is very similar to the appearance of the left ventricle of the hearts of people with the syndrome got the name.
Broken Heart Syndrome .. Why does it occur?
Broken heart syndrome is a temporary heart condition that occurs after stressful situations and emotions, causing sudden chest pain and heart attack-like symptoms.
It is believed that the influx of adrenaline and other stress hormones may affect only part of the heart muscle, temporarily disrupting the heart's normal pumping function, while the rest of the heart muscle continues to function normally, or more forceful contractions may occur.
The two syndromes ("stress cardiomyopathy, apical hypertrophy") were observed extensively after the major earthquake in Japan in 2011) and many people were hospitalized with heart attacks even though their health records did not indicate the possibility of heart disease, and no blockage appeared in the arteries when their hearts were scanned, What they had in common was that their bodies released so many stress hormones that they changed the shape of the heart, making it unable to pump very efficiently.
The onset of the syndrome is usually preceded by emotional or physical situations that may include major surgeries or the separation of loved ones (pixels).
Although it is not completely clear how these hormones may affect the heart, or whether something else is responsible for this or not, this morbidity may occur as a result of temporary narrowing in the heart arteries, whether large or small as well, or due to a different muscle structure The heart is the result of genetic problems.
And according to the explanation of the “Mayo Clinic” medical website, the onset of the syndrome is usually preceded by severe physical or emotional situations, physical, which may include undergoing major surgeries, a fracture, asthma diseases and even Covid-19.
It may be caused by some emotional situations, such as intense sadness over the news of death or any form of loss, and the grief of love, as well as entering into a sharp argument, but it also occurs due to certain medications such as those used to treat severe allergic reactions, severe asthma attacks, anxiety or congestion. Nose, narcotic medications such as methamphetamine.
women victims
Women are more likely to develop broken heart syndrome, but it is more common and dangerous when those over the age of 50 get it, as a result of low estrogen levels.
It also increases the risk factors for this syndrome that the person suffers from chronic anxiety or depression, or head injuries, or nervous disorders and seizures such as epilepsy, according to the medical website Web MD.
Women are more likely to have broken heart syndrome (Pixels)
After the beloved departed
When her husband left her after more than 25 years, scientific writer Florence Williams felt that her body was connected to an electrical socket, as the main symptoms of this syndrome are chest pain, shortness of breath, and symptoms of heart attacks that differ from them in that they occur due to a complete blockage Or almost complete in one of the arteries of the heart, while the arteries are not clogged with the syndrome, and the two types share poor blood flow to the arteries.
Florence summarized her experience in the book "Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey", talking about the relationship between emotional and physical pain after numerous visits to doctors in the United States and the United Kingdom, and talked about the ways in which intense emotional pain can affect The heart, the digestive system, the immune system, etc., and not the heart alone.
And she explained the "broken heart" after the lover left from the starting point of love, as love stimulates the parts of the brain responsible for producing stress hormones, and also when it is lost, and the body is stimulated and feels great tension, secreting hormones similar to the symptoms of a heart attack.
Does it lead to death?
Scientific sources confirm that broken heart syndrome rarely leads to death, and most of those who suffer from it recover quickly and do not have long-term effects, but in some cases rare complications may occur such as: low blood pressure, fluid accumulation in the lungs, irregular heartbeat, Blood clots in the heart.
Although broken heart syndrome may recur after another stressful event, the second time, the odds are much lower. Nevertheless, doctors recommend controlling the causes of emotional stress and extreme sadness to prevent them.