Patients who develop broken heart syndrome due to emotional triggers have a good five year prognosis. Short and long term prognosis depends on the type of stressor that causes the syndrome in the first place. If I have had broken heart syndrome, what is my long term prognosis? The majority of patients don’t experience a second episode - up to only 5% have a recurrent episode. Studies suggest that a person who has experienced broken heart syndrome will most likely not have more episodes. Will a person experience broken heart syndrome multiple times? Other risk factors for developing this condition include a history of anxiety, depression or neurologic illness. The exact reason for this is unknown, but it is believed that because the female hormone estrogen helps to protect the heart from the harmful effects of adrenaline, women become particularly vulnerable to the effects of sudden stress as they grow older and their estrogen levels decline. While the syndrome has been reported in younger women, in men and even in children, the vast majority of patients are post-menopausal women. The risk of developing the condition increases five times after the age of 55. You may be at higher risk for getting broken heart syndrome if you are a middle-aged woman. Who is at risk for getting broken heart syndrome? If your symptoms are chronic, it is unlikely that you have broken heart syndrome. If you are a person who frequently has symptoms of chest pain or shortness of breath when under significant stress, you should be evaluated by your doctor. Is it possible that I have been walking around with broken heart syndrome and did not even know it?īroken heart syndrome appears to be a condition that comes on suddenly and resolves quickly. I am under a great deal of stress every day. Most patients don’t have scar tissue or damage. Fortunately, this gets better very quickly in most cases, often within weeks or just a few days. The heart cells of people experiencing broken heart syndrome are stunned by the adrenaline and other stress hormones. People experiencing broken heart syndrome frequently have normal coronary arteries and often do not have severe blockages or clots. If these clots cut off the blood supply to the heart for a long enough time, heart muscle cells will die, leaving the heart with scar tissue and irreversible damage. Most heart attacks occur due to blockages and blood clots forming in the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with blood. How does broken heart syndrome differ from a heart attack? Even people who are critically ill with this condition tend to recover. The good news is that this condition can improve very quickly if patients are under the care of doctors familiar with the syndrome. Potentially life-threatening heart rhythm abnormalities.In some cases, it can cause severe heart muscle weakness resulting in: It appears that adrenaline’s effects on the heart during broken heart syndrome are temporary and completely reversible - the heart typically recovers fully within days or weeks.īroken heart syndrome can be life threatening. This large intake of calcium can prevent the heart cells from beating properly. Excess adrenaline can cause narrowing of the small arteries that supply the heart with blood, causing a temporary decrease in blood flow to the heart.Īlternatively, the adrenaline may bind to the heart cells directly, causing large amounts of calcium to enter the cells. The heart muscle can be overwhelmed by a massive amount of adrenaline that is suddenly produced in response to stress. When you experience a stressful event, your body produces hormones and proteins such as adrenaline and noradrenaline that are meant to help cope with the stress. How does sudden stress lead to heart muscle weakness? These symptoms may begin as soon as minutes or as long as hours after an emotionally or physically stressful event. The symptoms of broken heart syndrome can mimic symptoms of a heart attack, including: What are the symptoms of broken heart syndrome? Difficulty breathing (such as an asthma attack or emphysema).But while most people with this condition experience a stressful event, up to 30% of patients have no identifiable trigger at the time of their initial symptoms. Two kinds of stress - emotional or physical - often cause broken heart syndrome. What is broken heart syndrome?īroken heart syndrome is a condition that can cause rapid and reversive heart muscle weakness, also known as stress cardiomyopathy. Ilan Wittstein, M.D., the program director of the Johns Hopkins Advanced Heart Failure Fellowship, answers some common questions about broken heart syndrome and how it can be treated. Broken heart syndrome, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome, occurs when a person experiences sudden acute stress that can rapidly weaken the heart muscle.
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