Heart break really affects the heart
13 February 2005
by Richard
Conan-Davies
|
Medical researchers have shown that suffering a sudden emotional shock such as losing a loved one or even being dumped may have a real measurable impact on the heart. A patient with a broken heart has something called a stress cardiomyopathy . This is often misdiagnosed as a massive heart attack when they have suffered from a days-long surge in adrenalin (epinephrine) and other stress hormones that temporarily shock the heart. The research team, led by cardiologist Dr. Ilan Wittstein of the The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that some people may respond to sudden, overwhelming emotional stress by releasing large amounts of stress hormones and associated break down products that can be toxic to the heart. Dr. Wittstein explained that "After observing several cases of 'broken heart' syndrome at Hopkins hospitals - most of them in middle-aged or elderly women - we realized that these patients had clinical features quite different from typical cases of heart attack, and that something very different was happening," This is one of the first study looking at the actual biochemistry of broken hearts. |
 if your heart is not in good condition |
Related Links
Original news release from Johns Hopkins Medical Institute
Nature &
Science News
ClearlyExplained.com