February is the month when we celebrate hearts and romance with Valentine's Day and we increase awareness of heart disease with American Heart Month. The downside of romance is a broken heart and there actually is a medical condition called broken heart syndrome.
The more formal medical terms for the condition are takotsubo cardiomyopathy, stress-induced cardiomyopathy, or transient apical ballooning syndrome. It is a temporary weakening of the muscular walls of the heart that can occur during a highly stressful event such as divorce, death of a spouse, or serious financial problems. Physical problems that can bring on this condition include severe asthma, surgery, chemotherapy, or stroke. However, some patients with broken heart syndrome do not have any event that precedes it.
In broken heart syndrome, the walls of the ventricles-the two lower chambers of your heart-- become weak and start to balloon outwards at the bottom tip of the heart. Since these muscles pump the blood to the rest they are no longer good at their job. The heart ends up shaped like a Japanese octopus trap, a tako tsubo, which is how the condition gets one of its less romantic names.
Typically, broken heart syndrome occurs in people over age 50, especially postmenopausal women, but it can occur in younger individuals.
What causes broken heart syndrome? No one is sure, but there are a few theories. One is that it is brought on by a release of adrenalin and other stress hormones. Cardiologists have also noted that one of the coronary arteries on the front wall of the left ventricle may be slightly out of place in people who develop this kind of a broken heart. Others possibilities include small spasms of the coronary arteries or a combination of several of these problems.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is reversible. Many people get back to normal heart function in a few months. The long term prognosis is usually very good.
Symptoms of this kind of broken heart include chest pain and difficulty breathing. Because the symptoms are very similar to those of a heart attack, the best thing to do is call 911 immediately for emergency assistance. You don't want to die from this type of a broken heart.
