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Broken Heart Syndrome: Symptoms and Treatment

January 9, 2025

Broken Heart Syndrome: Symptoms and Treatment
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A sudden weakness of the heart muscle causes broken heart syndrome. This normally happens when people go through an extremely stressful event, physical or emotional. This condition can last for a few days or even for weeks. It is normally a temporary condition.

What is Broken Heart Syndrome?

A person with broken heart syndrome may experience sudden chest pain and believe that they are having a heart attack. This is a syndrome where some of your heart muscles are weakened. This results in affecting the other parts of the heart working harder. It interrupts the way the heart pumps blood. When your heart doesn’t pump blood well, your whole body is affected. Your blood carries oxygen to every cell in your body. The heart contracts more forcefully during a broken heart syndrome. The condition can also be triggered by a serious physical illness or even surgery. It can be treated with medicines.

Broken heart syndrome is also called:

  • Stress cardiomyopathy.
  • Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
  • Recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
  • Apical ballooning syndrome.

Types of broken heart syndrome

  • Apical: Most of the cases belong to this type, making it one of the most common types. In this, the lower half of the heart is affected.
  • Mid-ventricular: The middle part of the heart’s lower chambers (ventricles) are affected. The affected area looks like a ring or belt around the heart. The areas of the heart that are above and below the ring function perfectly.
  • Basal: This is similar to the mid-ventricular type, except that the ring or belt appears higher up. Only the area below the belt functions normally. It is rare to have this condition.
  • Focal: This is an extremely rare type; only a small area of the heart is affected compared to the other types. The area that is affected sticks out like a bulge from the rest of the heart. Resultantly, the opposite side of your heart curves inward towards the bulge.

Symptoms of Broken Heart Syndrome

Symptoms of broken heart syndrome show up within minutes or hours after the stressful event. When stress hormones are released temporarily, it stuns your heart muscle, and the symptoms resemble that of a heart attack. You could have any of the following symptoms:

  • Sudden or severe chest pain (angina)
  • Shortness of breath
  • The left ventricle of your heart getting weakened
  • Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
  • Low BP 
  • Palpitations
  • Fainting

Causes and Risk Factors

It is still unclear what causes broken heart syndrome. When you have a stressful event like a car accident, divorce, or job loss, a surge of stress hormones like adrenaline may damage the heart for a short time. It is not clear whether these hormones hurt the heart or something else is the cause for it. Broken heart syndrome may have been caused by a temporary squeezing of the large or small arteries of the heart. People with this condition have a change in the structure of the heart muscle.

Any stressful event like the following can cause a broken heart syndrome:

  • Sudden good (winning a lottery) or bad news,
  • Extreme anger,
  • Grief from the death of a loved one
  • Intense fear (a robbery),
  • Health issues like an asthma attack or COVID-19.

Risk factors could be:

  • Age: Older than 50 years of age
  • Sex: More common in women than men
  • Mental health conditions: People with anxiety and depression are at a higher risk
  • If you had a neurological disorder like a seizure or stroke

Diagnosis and Treatment

The doctor will review your medical history and perform a complete physical examination. Several tests may be ordered:

  • A blood test to check for a specific enzyme that may have damaged the heart muscle
  • An electrocardiogram ECG
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Echocardiography
  • X-ray of the chest
  • Heart MRI
  • Ventriculogram (A dye is injected into your left heart ventricle, and an X-ray is then taken that shows the size and pumping efficiency of this heart chamber)

Imaging can show the damaged areas of the heat. However, to rule out a heart attack, coronary angiography may be needed.

There is no specific treatment for broken heart syndrome, but medicines can help, and most people make a full recovery after taking them.

Medication used to treat broken heart syndrome:

  • Aspirin: It improves circulation and prevents blood clots
  • ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors or ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) which lower blood pressure and fight any inflammation
  • Beta-blockers which slow down your heart rate
  • Diuretics to reduce any build-up of fluid

Complications

  • Heart Failure
  • Pulmonary edema
  • Blood cloth in the wall of your left ventricle
  • Rupture of the left ventricle of your heart
  • Blockage of the blood flow from your left ventricle
  • Cardiogenic shock
  • Heart Block

Recovery and Outlook

Most people recover from broken heart syndrome without any long-term heart problems. If a health problem like a stroke, asthma, or seizure triggered your broken heart syndrome event, then the doctor may advise on how to manage these conditions. Although people make a full recovery in a few days or weeks, some people may have low energy levels for months after the event. If this leads you to feel depressed, reach out to a healthcare provider.

Those who get broken heart syndrome from an emotional event recover better than those who get it from a medical issue like surgery or illness. This may be caused by critical illnesses.

Broken heart syndrome rarely causes death. It is a temporary condition with full recovery.

You may have to take prescribed medicines for three to six months after the event. See your healthcare provider at regular intervals or as advised. You may either have a broken heart syndrome again or other health problems after several weeks or even years after the first event.

There is no way this condition can be prevented. It is only possible to learn stress management and problem-solving techniques. These can limit physical and emotional stress. You may like to practice relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness, journaling, lighting scented candles, eating nutritious food, getting regular exercise, getting good sleep, and avoiding tobacco, alcohol, or drugs.

Understanding, Recovery, and Prevention

People talk about a “broken heart” in a light-hearted way when talking about their emotional experiences. However, a broken heart syndrome can happen after a stressful emotional or physical event. It is a temporary condition, and people make a full recovery after it. It has symptoms like that of a heart attack. Never try to self-diagnose this condition. It is always important to rush to a hospital and ensure that the relevant tests are done to diagnose the condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the prognosis for broken heart syndrome?

The prognosis depends on the type of stressor that caused the syndrome in the first place. Patients who have emotional triggers that cause the syndrome have a better prognosis than those who have physical triggers.

2. Can you die from broken heart syndrome?

Yes, it is possible to die from broken heart syndrome, but it is extremely rare. It causes temporary weakening of the heart’s main pumping chamber, the left ventricle. Although the symptoms may resemble a heart attack, most people recover completely over time. Only about 1% of people with broken heart syndrome die from it. While it can lead to life-threatening complications like congestive heart failure or heart rhythm abnormalities, prompt treatment typically results in a positive outcome.

Disclaimer: We recommend consulting a Doctor before taking any action based on the above shared information.


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