Many have felt the sting of being rejected by a crush, or the pain of a break-up with a long-time significant other. On this Valentine's Day, one ABC News reporter wanted to find out whether it's really possible to die from a broken heart.
The answer he discovered? Yes, it is.
Broken heart syndrome, according to ABC News, is the sudden heart failure that comes on after experiencing emotional trauma. Japanese researchers first recognized it in the '90s, calling it takotsubo cardiomyopathy, after noting that a Japanese octopus trap, a takotsubo, and the shape of the affected heart on an X-ray look similar.
This takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken heart syndrome, is quite rare, mostly affecting post-menopausal women, according to ABC News. The symptoms are similar to a heart attack -- 1 to 2 percent of people diagnosed with a heart attack are really suffering from broken heart syndrome, according to ABC News, but what's actually happening to the heart is very different.
In a heart attack, ABC News reported, the heart muscle is cut off from its supply of oxygen, either from a blockage or a spasm in one of the blood-providing arteries. Broken heart syndrome, though, is thought to result from a surge hormones that impedes the heart muscle's ability to pump.
A 2005 study from the Johns Hopkins Hospital indicates that some stressors causing broken heart syndrome were related to sadness, but not all. One person was actually struck down after being startled by their own surprise birthday party, ABC reported.
It's uncertain why middle-aged women are at the highest risk, but it could be because of differences in hormone levels, according to ABC. Doctors are able to tell the difference between a heart attack and broken heart syndrome, so if you're experiencing heart pain after emotional stress, immediately call 911.
Broken heart syndrome is rarely fatal, according to ABC, and most people are able to fully recover. There's no way to really prevent its onset, though, unless you completely isolate yourself from anything that would might you emotional stress -- and that's pretty close to impossible, and maybe a bit boring, too.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
