Do not die of broken heart syndrome

One must have heard about several physical cardiac diseases but the broken heart syndrome is something different. Many of us suffer from this disease when they lose their beloved ones or are deceived by their half but this fatal heart disease can also cause death.

Now the researchers from Imperial College are finding facts about this potentially fatal heart condition that can result in death of the patient. The basic objective of the researchers is to identify the causes, symptoms and treatments of the broken heart syndrome. So far, intense emotions such as grief or sudden trauma are considered as the potential causes to initiate the syndrome.

The scientists believe that anyone who experiences intense grief after losing a loved one may catch the disease and if they do not return to their normal condition, these intense emotions can even cause death. Dr Alexander Lyon, a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Brompton heart and lung hospital, is cooperating with researchers at Imperial College.

According to Lyon, overwhelming emotions like fear or extreme pain can lead to catastrophic heart failure as a result of broken heart syndrome. Lyon also said that it could equally be the shock of intense, unexpected happiness, such as winning the lottery.

Lyon spoke to the media, “Humans have always been exposed to these kinds of stresses. The only reason we know about the syndrome now is because people presenting with heart attack symptoms can have coronary angiograms very soon after their chest pain begins.”

He added, “To a cardiologist, a heart attack means a blocked coronary artery, but in this condition we find the coronary arteries are open and the blood supply is fine. We then look at the pumping chamber and it’s paralysed, plus it’s taken on a unique and abnormal shape; it looks like a Japanese fisherman’s octopus pot, called Takotsubo, hence its name.”

The broken heart syndrome is triggered by stress cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy which is the body’s sudden, massive release of adrenaline. This sudden release of the enzyme can shock the half of the main pumping chamber of the heart, effecting paralysing it and the heart stops responding.

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Posted by Zeeshan Gohar on Feb 15 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry