A remedy for the broken heart | Health - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

A remedy for the broken heart

Hindustan Times | By
Apr 10, 2010 10:36 PM IST

A heart attack-that-is-not is a medical mystery called Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, or the broken heart syndrome, says Sanchita Sharma.

It's the classic Bollywood script. Man hears his daughter has eloped, he clutches his heart and collapses. He is rushed to an emergency room where a grim-faced doctor shakes his head and pronounces, "He is no more".

HT Image
HT Image

Now, the modern twist. The father-of-the-runaway daughter clutches his heart and is rushed to the hospital. But he is told "all is well" and returns home, happy at the thought that he doesn't have to spend on the wedding.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

This is possible. A heart attack-that-is-not is a medical mystery called Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, or the broken heart syndrome.

The symptoms are not psychosomatic. Now, it seems the syndrome is not as rare as it was believed to be either. It causes 1-2 per cent of admissions for suspected heart attacks in industrialised countries, reported the British Medical Journal last week.

The condition, which affects mostly post-menopausal women, is associated with strong emotional or physical stress in 80 per cent of the cases.

The symptoms begin minutes to hours after exposure to a severe and unexpected stress or even physical stressors such as stroke, seizure, or an asthma attack.

In 80 per cent of the cases, symptoms disappear on their own within a couple of weeks. In others, heart damage persists, reported the European Heart Journal on Friday. Italian scientists found that the symptoms are caused by a spasm in the small blood vessels, which cannot be picked up by routine tests.

As usual, there is no data for India, where the syndrome is likely to be dismissed as a psychosomatic disorder. More so, because it affects more women than men. The largest registry of patients with Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in the world — at Rhode Island Hospital in the US — shows that only one of the 40 patients diagnosed with the syndrome are men.

The clinical manifestations are also confusing. People with all the classic heart attack symptoms — acute chest pain, shortness of breath, congestive heart failure, low blood pressure, abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood tests readings that show high levels of heart disease-related enzymes — keep showing up. But the angiography is clear. Blood flow and heart function are also normal.

In a typical heart attack, blocked arteries show up and the heart cells starved of blood, die. The body responds by producing hormones and proteins which cause the small arteries to spasm and temporarily decrease blood flow to the heart.

The effect is temporary and reversible.

In rare cases, there could be severe heart muscle weakness and other potentially life-threatening effects. Death is rarer still. If symptoms persist, advanced life-support is needed. A broken heart that mends on its own is any day preferable.

It's cheaper too, but remember that no shock is worth permanent heart damage.

Oscars 2024: From Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Sanchita is the health & science editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting and writing on public health policy, health and nutrition for close to two decades. She is an International Reporting Project fellow from Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and was part of the expert group that drafted the Press Council of India’s media guidelines on health reporting, including reporting on people living with HIV.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On