Broken Heart Syndrome:
Health Story

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, January 27 and March 16, 2008
Show 504

A traumatic loss. We often call it being "broken-hearted", but it's a real medical syndrome. Triggered by major emotional or physical stress, it's officially called apical ballooning syndrome (ABS), but many refer to it as the "broken heart syndrome" because of when it strikes. The sudden loss of a loved one or other traumatic experience can cause heart attack-like symptoms in a person – sometimes within hours of hearing the news about the loss – and it can be a life-threatening cardiac condition. A heart attack is usually caused by a blood clot in an artery, cutting off circulation to the heart. With ABS, arterties remain open, but the heart muscle is damaged and weakened. An outpouring of stress hormones within the heart muscle itself is thought to be the reason, with anger often having a stronger impact on the heart than grief. A lot of ABS patients are post-menopausal women. The good news is, the heart muscle often recovers within three days. Studies have shown that approximately one in 10 ABS patients will suffer another recurrence within four years. Reducing stress and worrying less can help reduce the chance of a recurrence.