Broken Heart Syndrome is supposed to protect your health

Broken Heart Syndrome protects against heart damage

11/08/2012

Broken heart is not only a term for deep grief, but actually a recognizable disease of the heart, which is observed especially in older women after the loss of a close relative. British researchers have apparently solved the mystery of Broken Heart Syndrome.

The phenomenon of broken heart syndrome protects the heart from stress-related damage, according to a study by an international research team led by Professor Sian Harding of Imperial College London. Like the scientists in the trade magazine „Circulation“ According to the American Heart Association, the short-term change in the heart prevents the organ from possible irreversible damage from the increased concentration of stress hormones that can occur after a stroke of fate or other acute stress situations.

Stressful events cause Broken Heart Syndrome
From a medical point of view, that is „broken heart“ a special heart disease that resembles a heart attack in its symptoms. Those affected suffer from heartache, chest pain and respiratory or respiratory distress. Broken Heart Syndrome (also known as Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy) usually occurs after an extremely emotional event such as the death of a close relative, separation from a partner, an accident or the diagnosis of a serious illness. According to the British researchers, women are particularly often affected beyond the menopause. Not infrequently they end up as emergency patients in the hospital. But „Despite the serious presentation, Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is rapidly reversible, with generally good prognosis“, Report Prof. Harding and colleagues.

Broken heart syndrome with symptoms of heart attack
When examining Broken Heart patients, cardiologists are usually unable to detect damaged or clogged or narrowed coronary vessels, as is commonly seen in heart attack patients. „The dysfunction in Broken Heart Syndrome is similar to occlusion of the left coronary artery without it actually being blocked“, explained Professor Holger Nef, Senior Physician of the Cardiac Catheter Laboratory at the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg „World Online“. The physician was among others for his research work „Tako-Tsubo Cardiomyopathy: Extreme stress can lead to a disruption of the calcium balance in the heart muscle cell "awarded in 2008 with the August Wilhelm and Lieselotte Becht Research Award of the German Foundation for Heart Research.

Continuing stress damages the heart muscles
Since the discovery of Broken Heart Syndrome in 1991, medical professionals have been looking for an explanation for this phenomenon in which the heart assumes a balloon-like appearance because the lower heart muscle is not contracting properly. Now the British researchers around Prof. Harding have found out that the change of the heart serves to protect against possible heart damage. Because „With prolonged stress, the body is completely overloaded with stress hormones. The result is direct damage to the heart muscle“, explained Prof. Nef. In order to protect the heart from such impairments by the overstimulation with stress hormones, Broken Heart patients apparently changed the way adrenaline works, the British scientists report. Normally, adrenaline stimulates the heart, which improves the oxygenation of the body in stressful situations. „This can be harmful if it is too long“, said Professor Sian Harding. Therefore, the adrenaline is working „in patients with Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, in a different way and turns off the heart instead of stimulating it.“ In this way, the organ is prevented from serious damage by the increased concentration of stress hormones after a stroke of fate.

Medical treatment of Broken Heart patients
Although the Broken Heart Syndrome usually goes back by itself after a few days, the heart is particularly vulnerable during this time and sufferers should urgently seek medical treatment. At worst, a Broken Heart Syndrome can be fatal. In addition, the common drugs in Broken Heart patients often do not show the desired effect. Adrenaline-containing medicines must be avoided in any case, according to Prof. Harding and colleagues. Ideally, patients' stress levels should be reduced as quickly as possible, which is why psycho-cardiological care is still the most important factor, according to Prof. Nef. „Only it helps to reduce stress levels“, explained the expert. Here, therapists can help, for example, develop a suitable coping strategy for the loss of a close person. (Fp)