Broken heart syndrome recovers fully

The long-term outlook is excellent for people who suffer from broken-heart syndrome and nearly all patients have full recovery of heart function. Japanese researchers first described the broken heart syndrome in the early 1990s, which is medically known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC). The condition is characterized by a reversible ballooning of the left ventricle in the absence of any narrowing of the coronary artery. As the shape of the left ventricle resembles a “fishing pot for trapping octopus,” called “tako-tsubo” in Japanese, the condition is so named. Symptoms typically mimic a heart attack and tend to occur soon after an intense physical or emotional event. The condition usually affects the elderly and is accompanied by ECG changes and a mild increase in heart enzymes detected in blood. Researchers from Rhode Island studied 70 patients with the syndrome to learn more about disease characteristics, treatment strategies and natural history. Two-thirds of the patients - nearly all post-menopausal women - had experienced a very stressful physical or emotional event just before arriving at the hospital with heart attack-like symptoms that included chest pain and shortness of breath. Although 20 percent of these patients were critically ill and required emergency treatment for cardiogenic shock or abnormal heart rhythm to keep them alive, all patients survived the first 48 hours and experienced a full and complete recovery. Experts think these symptoms may be brought on by the heart's reaction to a surge of stress hormones, like adrenaline, causing a part of the heart to temporarily weaken or become stunned. The researchers state that though broken heart syndrome is a temporary condition and completely reversible, it can often be difficult for cardiologists and emergency room physicians to diagnose and manage such patients. Further studies are required regarding long-term outcome in these patients.

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