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When you think of a broken heart, your mind may wander to your favorite romance movie or book where a character went through a grief inducing experience, like a break up or disconnection from someone they loved. But how serious can a broken heart really be?
Broken Heart Syndrome, or scientifically named Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is a rare heart condition brought on by stressful situations or extreme emotions. In even rarer situations, Broken Heart Syndrome can be triggered by a serious physical illness or even surgery.
Most of the time, this condition is temporary and resolves on its own. In some cases, it can linger for a lot longer than anyone would want it to. People with this condition who are unaware of it may think they have a serious heart problem, or may even think that they’re having a heart attack. But realistically, this condition only causes a temporary interruption in the way your heart pumps blood while the rest of your heart works normally.
The symptoms of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy are chest pain and shortness of breath. If you have these symptoms or more, you should take extra precaution and check with a doctor in case something else is going on.
When it comes to the causes of this condition, professionals are a little unclear about it. It is thought that surges of stress hormones, like adrenaline, could damage someone’s heart for a short period of time. Another possible cause for this condition could be an intense physical or emotional event – basically anything that causes a very strong emotional reaction. Some examples of this could be sudden illness, like an asthma attack, major surgery, sudden broken bones, and death or loss of a loved one.
It has even been questioned on whether or not some medications or illegal drugs could cause this disorder. Some of those include emergency allergy medications like epipens, anxiety medicine, medicine used to treat congestion, and illegal stimulant drugs. There are lots of factors that play into having this illness, so it can be hard to determine whether or not someone could be struggling with it. The common risk factors of this condition are gender, age, and mental illness. Doctors do know that it is more common in women, people over 50, and people who have dealt with mental illness, like anxiety and depression.
The big question is: is it possible to die from this condition?
In the article, “When her heart stopped after her dog died, doctors said it was broken heart syndrome,” published by heart.org, reporter Tate Gunnerson explains a woman’s story who experienced this condition firsthand. In 2021, a woman named Tess Kassow lost her beloved dog, Mr. Big, very unexpectedly. But her story goes deeper than this.
Tess and Dan Kassow had tried for years to have a child, but they struggled with infertility for years. To cope with the disappointment they faced after failed in-vitro fertilization attempts, the Kassows got Mr. Big, a seven-pound Maltese.
Mr. Big was like a child to Tess Kassow, and her joy doubled when she finally got pregnant and had her first child. But unexpectedly, Mr. Big passed away of unknown causes. Mrs. Kassow had taken this loss heavily, and it affected her mental health terribly.
She said, “It felt as if I’d lost a baby.”
Not long after the loss, Tess Kassow felt a sharp pain in her left arm and extreme pressure in her chest. Hours later, she went into cardiac arrest.
At first, the doctors and professionals were not entirely sure of why this happened. But later in the night, they diagnosed her with an extreme case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
“They said I died. My heart stopped, and there was no blood flowing,” said Kassow.
While it was a close call for Kassow, there have only been a few reported cases of people dying from this specific disorder. However, because of how truly rare this disorder is, they aren’t documented well.
So, overall, yes, it is possible to die from a broken heart. Though it is rare, it’s happened before. Hopefully in the near future we can gain more concrete information and facts on this disorder. But in the meantime, make sure you’re aware of the signs and causes of Broken Heart Syndrome to avoid this potentially fatal disorder.