Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Marjorie Kondrack

Love and heartbreak are human experiences.  Heartbreak is not restricted to the end of a relationship. It can be unrequited love, the death of a loved one, divorce, unmet expectations we have of another. Or other severe emotional conditions.

Harvard Medical School recently published an article about a phenomenon known as Broken Heart Syndrome. It is a real condition known as Stress Cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo syndrome, and can be deadly. But most people recover quickly without any long lasting effects. Although it mimics a heart attack, the key difference is that in broken heart syndrome there are typically no blockages in the coronary arteries

While dying  from a broken heart sounds like something that happens only in romance novels, it can grab the headlines.  In 2016, actress Debbie Reynolds unexpectedly died four days after the passing of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher. Headlines blared, “Can Someone Die of A Broken Heart?”

Broken heart syndrome isn’t what the media has painted it to be, but it can be fatal for about 1% of people who experience it.   Previously it was thought that it affected mainly women over the age of 50, but a recent study by the New England Journal of Medicine indicates a marked increase in the percentage of men affected as well.  Researchers attribute this to the likelihood of, at some point beyond mid-life, the response to stress can weaken or stun  the heart.

An ultrasound (echocardiogram) of the heart can show how well the heart is contracting and whether the heart has taken on what has been officially termed  as the Takotsubo  shape.  Your heart suddenly changes shape and weakens.

While older women are the most likely to develop broken heart syndrome they also have the best chances of recovery. Men and younger people are less likely to get the syndrome, but their outcomes are typically worse when they get it.

Broken hearts can heal. Some may need ongoing treatment and stress management techniques. It’s important to follow up with a cardiologist who can tell you when your heart muscle has fully recovered.  To reduce your risk of this and other heart related condition, you can invest in self care practices that will enhance your emotional well being:

Improve or eliminate stressful circumstances (toxic relationships, isolation, taxing jobs)
Prioritize sleep
Invest a little time in stress reducing routines, such as deep breathing, meditation and tai chi.
My favorite: A walk outdoors in nature.

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