When suffering from a broken heart syndrome, give the heart time to recover.
Heartbreaks are very common. Most people have had their hearts broken at some point in their lives. Although a figurative term, the broken heart syndrome is real!
Suffering a heartbreak after losing a loved one or ending a romantic relationship can be more dangerous than you think. Caused by extreme stress and anguish, it makes the heart muscles weak.
The condition can affect anybody, but is predominantly seen in middle-aged and elderly women. The broken heart syndrome, a temporary and curable condition, can be fatal in some cases.
On World Heart Day, ETPanache Digital got in touch with experts to decode the causes, symptoms, precautions and treatment of the condition.
What Is The Broken Heart Syndrome? Broken Heart Syndrome, a condition where the heart function drops all of a sudden, has many names. The medical term for the condition is takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning syndrome. 'Takotsubo' in Japanese means an octopus trap.
In 1990, a Japanese cardiologist noticed the syndrome in his 22 patients, the Indian Journal of Anaesthesia reported in its 2016 issue. He described the condition as Takotsubo because the shape of the left ventricle in people suffering from the broken heart syndrome looked like an octopus trap during systole (when ventricles contract).
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World Heart Day: Medical Innovations That Have Transformed Cardiac Care
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On World Heart Day, here's a list of medical innovations that have transformed cardiac care.
On World Heart Day, here's a list of medical innovations that have transformed cardiac care.
Cardiac care has witnessed a paradigm shift in the last two decades. From implantable heart-rhythm monitors to robots and stem cell therapy, a touch of technology has helped in the early detection of ailments and simplified treatment.
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When a person experiences severe emotional, physical or psychological stress, the sympathetic nervous system of the people suffering from a broken heart abruptly becomes more dependent on their blood adrenaline levels.
Dr Sreekanth Shetty, Senior Consultant and Head of Interventional Cardiology at the Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru, explained this reaction as 'flight or fight response,' which generally aids in managing stress. "When this reaction is exaggerated, it interferes with the heart's proper functioning, causing the patient's heartbeat to slow down and resulting in stress cardiomyopathy," he said.
This acute condition is reversible, and doesn't cause any blockage in the heart, said Dr Vijay Kumar, Director, Interventional Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla road, New Delhi.
"It happens due to extremely high levels of stress-related hormones (eg. adrenaline) running in the body giving rise to temporary severe narrowing of the small arteries of blood vessels in the heart without causing a blockage. Since the blood supply decreases in the body at such a time it can make the heart muscles weak as it balloons up and stretches," Dr Kumar said.
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In some cases, Dr Manish Bansal, Director, Clinical and Preventive Cardiology, Heart Institute at Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon, said that patients who undergo surgery or develop an infection/disease can also suffer from broken heart syndrome. "It can put immense stress on the body, causing the heart to become weak and dysfunctional. But, this occurs over time," he said.
However, the emotional condition is not the same for everyone. It can differ in people based on their level of sensitivity. In some cases, it may also be caused by incidents that may seem trivial to others. Dr Shetty said that the broken heart syndrome can also be brought on by intense happiness.
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Dr Vijay Kumar, Dr Sreekanth B Shetty, Dr Manish Bansal In short, any kind of major stress on the body can lead to this. Some cases of the broken heart syndrome have also been seen in attempted cases of suicide.
Symptoms Of The Broken Heart Syndrome Broken Heart Syndrome is a sneaky condition which mimics the symptoms of a heart attack. Alterations in the echocardiography and high levels of cardiac markers like troponin and pro-BNP are observed in such patients, similar to that of a heart attack.
Dr Bansal opened up about the possibility of misdiagnosis as the broken heart syndrome signs are similar to that of a heart attack. Experts can only find the difference when they perform the angiography surgery and notice no blockages, unlike in heart attacks. When the patient recovers in four to five days, confirming a case of broken heart syndrome.
The effect on the heart differs from person to person. In some people, the illness only results in little cardiac damage, which heals over time, however, in others, the condition can be serious enough to need hospitalisation and even result in death. Some patients can also go into acute heart failure.
However, in most cases, once the stressful period is over, the heart recovers and becomes normal.
Extreme heart rhythms, fast or slow, where the patient might require a temporary pacemaker insertion
Other Things To Know When a heart is in trouble, it needs courage and support from others to heal.
Similarly, people going through emotional stress must seek emotional support from family, friends and doctors to avoid an instance of broken heart syndrome. The heart normally heals over time if supportive treatment is continued throughout the acute crisis.
Experts treat the condition with medication (used in treating heart disease), psychological counselling and giving the heart time to recover.
Dr Bansal said supportive treatment is the best solution. "If one experiences any symptom of breathing difficulty due to emotional stress, head to the hospital and get treated. A fatal outcome can be averted with necessary medical support. The patient of broken heart syndrome will likely recover in four to five days," he added.
Matters of the heart can be tricky, but asking for help can go a long way.
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On this World Heart Day, here's a list of food items that you should avoid to keep your heart healthy.
On this World Heart Day, here's a list of food items that you should avoid to keep your heart healthy.
Your heart is a vital organ in the cardiovascular system - a network of blood vessels that pumps blood throughout the body. On this World Heart Day, here's a list of food items that you should avoid to keep your heart healthy.
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