The only way to know that it’s not a typical one is through examination and tests in a catheter lab, where we can determine by angiogram if the arteries are blocked. “It presents all the typical symptoms, and you could argue that, in a way, it is a kind of heart attack. “Takotsubo looks for all the world like a heart attack,” Chapman said. The book details his experience in treating, and teaching medical students about, various heart conditions. Gregory Chapman, M.D., a UAB Medicine cardiologist, has written “A Strong and Steady Pulse: Cardiac Stories,” a book set to publish in 2021. A weakened heart also can cause other complications, such as heart valve problems.ĭiagnosing broken heart syndrome can be a challenge. The result can be heart failure or irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias. Those changes prevent the left ventricle from properly contracting.Īs cardiomyopathy worsens, the weakened heart becomes less able to pump blood or maintain a normal electrical rhythm. The current data strongly suggest that it happens when stress hormones, such as adrenaline, surge into the heart, triggering changes in muscle cells and blood vessels. Researchers have not yet determined a specific cause of broken heart syndrome, but it is known that stress is the trigger for a series of symptoms. Signs and symptoms of the condition are almost identical to those of a heart attack and may include sudden chest pain, shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat. Because this particular cardiomyopathy causes severe swelling of the left ventricle, the swollen ventricle looks similar to a tako-tsubo pot. In 1990, Japanese researchers named the condition after a clay pot used by Japanese fishermen to trap octopi. Medical professionals now understand that there is a direct link between severe emotional or physical stress and a serious cardiac condition.īroken heart syndrome is a common name for stress-induced cardiomyopathy, or takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a disease that affects the heart’s muscle tissue. In cardiovascular medicine, however, the phrase broken heart is no longer strictly symbolic. Generally speaking, the term broken heart means someone is suffering emotional distress, but not experiencing an actual medical condition. “Broken heart syndrome” is a common name for stress-induced cardiomyopathy.You really can have a broken heart.
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