Broken heart vs. Happy heart syndrome
The heart-wrenching story of Joe Garcia, the man whose wife Irma Garcia was among the 21 people killed in the Texas school shooting in May, left everyone in a state of shock and grief.
Just after returning from his wife's memorial, Gracia had died due to - what the family described as a broken heart. Although his death was termed as a heart attack, experts believe it was takotsubo cardiomyopathy, more commonly known as “broken heart syndrome," which is a stress-induced condition.
But while a broken heart can be deadly, being too happy could also be fatal, scientists have pointed out. The condition is known as 'happy heart syndrome', also associated with takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
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Takotsubo cardiomyopathy
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning is a condition, in which sudden stress can cause damage to the left ventricle, triggering pain and leading to symptoms resembling a heart attack.
Popularly known as a 'broken heart syndrome', this condition has no definite cause nor does it indicate any underlying heart disease.
Researchers first recognized takotsubo cardiomyopathy in Japan in 1990, with the first report emerging from the United States in 1998, as per American Heart Association (AHA).
The syndrome is said to cause the left ventricle of the heart to bulge into a balloon shape, hence taking the form of a Japanese fisher’s takotsubo pot, used to trap octopuses, giving it its name.
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Understanding happy heart syndrome and how it is different from broken heart syndrome
Just like takotsubo cardiomyopathy can occur due to extreme sadness, scientists have found it can also be triggered by excess of happiness.
A team of German researchers have found a small group of patients have takotsubo syndrome triggered by happy life events.
The study, which involved 910 patients with takotsubo syndrome, found that 37 had happy heart syndrome and 873 had broken heart syndrome. As per the study, happy heart syndrome was mostly observed in men, as opposed to broken heart syndrome, which was prevalent among women.
There was no significant difference in overall outcomes between people with happy heart and broken heart syndromes, the scientists revealed.
Extreme emotions can be detrimental
The unpredictability and abruptness of the condition is what makes it deadly. However, it is important to note that death by a broken heart or happy heart syndrome is extremely rare.
It commonly occurs following a very stressful event, such as the death of a loved one, a natural disaster, or a physical stress.
According to the AHA, in 85% of cases, takotsubo is triggered by an emotionally or physically stressful event that precedes the onset of symptoms by minutes to hours.
"Emotional stressors include grief (death of a loved one), fear (armed robbery, public speaking), anger (argument with spouse), relationship conflicts (dissolution of marriage), and financial problems (gambling loss, job loss)," as per the health body.
Physical stressors on the other hand comprise acute asthma, surgery, chemotherapy, and stroke.
How is it different from a heart attack
It can be difficult to self-diagnose a takotsubo cardiomyopathy or tell it apart from a heart attack. However, there could be certain distinctions.
Unlike a heart attack, takotsubo syndrome cannot be caused by an underlying heart disease. When examined, people with a broken heart or happy heart syndrome do not show typical heart attack signs and often have no heart disease at all.
Furthermore, the recovery from the syndrome can be swift unlike a heart attack recovery, which can be long and intense.
While heart attacks have a very high chance of recurrence, takotsubo cardiomyopathy is said to have a relatively low recurrence rate of 2–4% per year. It is also a temporary condition that settles on its own.
Causes and risk factors
While there is no clear cause of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, researchers believe it could be due to the release of stress-related hormones (epinephrine) that get released during stressful events, which cause blood vessel spasms and force the left ventricle to swell into a balloon. This furthermore makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood efficiently, leading to congestive heart failure.
As per the data from National Institutes of Health, some people may be more at risk of this condition as others. Risk factors include:
- Domestic abuse
- Loss
- Natural disasters
- Trauma and/or accident
- Arguments
- A recent diagnosis of a serious illness
- Using stimulant drugs, such as amphetamines or cocaine
Here's how you can diagnose and prevent this condition
There are certain tests that can determine and diagnose takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
It includes an EKG, that views the electrical activity of your heart, blood tests, an angiogram, an echocardiogram and an MRI scan of the heart.
Furthermore, you can also keep an eye on the signs such as irregular heartbeat, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath and stroke-like symptoms. However, one may confuse these signs with a heart attack too.
It is important that you take all the risk factors into consideration and avoid intense stress.