A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has shown that the risk of death and complications due to Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as broken heart syndrome, is high and has remained high in recent years.
The study used information from a database of nearly 200,000 adults in the United States. Using this data, trends, mortality, and complications were evaluated for patients admitted for broken heart syndrome between 2016 and 2020. Broken heart syndrome is a stress-related heart condition that can occur after stressful events, such as the death of a loved one. The goal of this study was to determine the mortality, morbidity, and trends in this syndrome in recent years.
The results showed that people admitted with broken heart syndrome had high rates of both mortality and complications, with no improvements or downward trends during the time period studied. The mortality rate for the condition was 6.5%, which is considered high. Major complications occurred in many patients; 35.9% had congestive heart failure, 20.7% had atrial fibrillation, cardiogenic shock occurred in 6.6%, and stroke occurred in 5.3%. Interestingly, mortality from the condition was more than twice as high for men compared to women (11.2% versus 5.5%).
The authors noted that they were surprised to see the high rates of death and complications with no improvements during the five-year study period. These results indicate that more research needs to be done to find treatments for broken heart syndrome. Symptoms of broken heart syndrome can include chest pain and shortness of breath. If you suspect broken heart syndrome, it’s best to go to the emergency room as soon as possible since it can lead to severe complications and death.
Sources: Journal of the American Heart Association, Science Daily
