Men more likely to die from a ‘broken heart’: Study shows this heart condition hits them harder

A recent study shows you can really ‘die of a broken heart’, especially if you are a man. Know more about this heart condition.

When a relationship that you were attached to ends or a loved one dies, the emotional state feels so overwhelming that it often seems akin to your heart breaking as you try to cope with the sorrow. But turns out it's not all mental or figurative, rooted in poetic expression. It extends to physical health, too.

Men are more likely to die from broken heart condition.(Shutterstock)

There's an actual heart condition called ‘broken heart syndrome,’ medically known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

A study published in the Journal of American Heart Health delved into this connection and revealed how even though women are more likely to be diagnosed with it, men, however, have a much higher risk of actually dying from it.

What did the study find?

 

Broken heart syndrome causes cardiac arrest.(Shutterstock)

Let's take a closer look at this study and see how this condition is more fatal for men than for women. The researchers examined the hospital records of 2,00,000 adults in the US who had Takotsubo cardiomyopathy between 2016 and 2020.

While more patients were women, showing that women are more likely to get it, this heart condition is deadlier for men. In fact, men are twice as likely to die from this broken heart syndrome. The death rate in men is 11.2 per cent, while for women, it's half that, 5.6 per cent.

Those who died suffered from serious complications like congestive heart failure, irregular heartbeat. 

Emotional stress as one of the causes

While ‘heartbroken’ may be just a poetic expression, the study revealed that overwhelming emotional stress is one of the triggers for this very real heart condition. Broken heart syndrome can occur from extreme emotional shocks, such as the death of a loved one, a breakup, or other strong emotional triggers.

Although the study also explained how emotional stress is a more common trigger in women, physical stress, like illness, injury, or surgery, is more common in men. This also helps explain why men have a higher fatality rate.

The study shows that taking care of your emotional wellbeing is not only vital for your mental health but can literally save your heart.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.