AMMAN — “My heart has been broken, literally”. This is
how Faten, 27, summed up her recovery journey from a “broken
heart syndrome,” a
condition she was diagnosed with following a heated dispute with her
ex-husband.
اضافة اعلان
After the
argument with her ex-husband, Faten said she felt an excruciating pain in her
chest.
In spite of
normal heart artery function, she was rushed to the hospital after experiencing
symptoms consistent with a heart attack.
Doctors later
revealed that she had a broken heart syndrome, as evidenced by an
echocardiogram.
In an interview
with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Faten said that she had fully recovered
from her illness after a three-month intensive treatment.
While the
expression “my heart is broken” may be taken by some as merely a metaphor for
an extreme emotional response, however, from a medical point of view, it may be
a fairly accurate characterization of the effects of stressful situations on
one’s body and mind.
The broken heart
syndrome, also known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy or takotsubo
cardiomyopathy, can occur in otherwise healthy people. Takotsubo are octopus
traps that look like the shape of a pot, which is how a stricken heart looks.
As a result of a
hormonal shift in response to emotional stress, women are more vulnerable than
men to experiencing sudden, severe chest pain.
According to
www.heart.org, heartbreak can come in many forms, including the loss of a loved
one, a separation of some kind, physical or otherwise, betrayal, or the
rejection of romantic feelings.
Recently, a
research by consultant cardiologist Dr Ayman Hammoudeh confirmed an increase in
the prevalence of broken heart syndrome in Jordan, particularly during and
after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hammoudeh said
his study was the first of its kind in the
Middle East, and it included 300
people who were not infected with the COVID-19 virus, but experienced acute
heart attacks, broken heart syndrome, or sudden death.
People who had
recently lost loved ones, their jobs or businesses, or felt a sudden onslaught
of fear or anxiety, were particularly vulnerable to these stresses, the doctor
said.
He explained
that the broken heart syndrome affects people of all ages worldwide. He
emphasized the significance of raising awareness about the condition, whose symptoms
are similar to those of other diseases, so that people can get help sooner
rather than later.
In his
discussion of the body’s hormones, Hammoudeh highlighted the roles played by
adrenaline and cortisol. Known as the “fight-or-flight” response hormones, they
assist in a person’s ability to cope with stressful situations and increase
heart rate.
He explained
that if the hormones, especially adrenaline, are released into the bloodstream
in large quantities due to external stress or intense mental exertion, it
causes the coronary arteries to constrict, which in turn causes a sharp
increase in blood pressure and heart rate.
He said such
response can put people at risk from the syndrome, which can lead to a heart
attack, and that in some cases the arteries will be unharmed, while the
adrenaline rush will weaken and even damage the heart muscle.
The doctor
emphasized that a sudden increase in adrenaline can be the result of mental
exertion or extreme emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, or a happy or sad
surprise.
The cardiologist
added that physical stress, like sudden intense exercise, a very high
temperature, asthma, severe weakness, shortness of breath, a stroke, or nervous
spasms can all lead to broken heart syndrome.
Hammoudeh said
that while mental and physical stress are common contributors, in 30 percent of
cases the causes are unknown. He said this could be because the patient did not
provide a clear answer when asked whether he had experienced an episode of
anger, nervousness, or temperature, or because an unexpectedly high level of
the adrenaline hormone was present.
The doctor said
the symptoms of this syndrome are similar to those of a heart attack, including
sudden onset of severe chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath, and
dizziness, all of which require immediate transportation to the emergency room.
The doctor
explained that during a cardiac catheterization, the arteries look fine, but
the damage to the heart muscle is evident because the heart muscle swells and
enlarges into a shape resembling a jar or net in the shape of the Japanese
catch octopuses. Therefore, he added, the disease got its name from the
Japanese word for jar or octopus net, Takotsubo.
He noted that
while a small percentage of patients with this syndrome will develop severe
complications like heart muscle weakness, fluid retention, fast heart rate, and
death, the vast majority of patients will recover normal heart muscle function
after treatment.
Because of their
heightened sensitivity to emotional triggers, women are more likely to develop
the disease than men, Hammoudeh said.
Women in their
fifties or later are also at a higher risk, as it has been hypothesized that
estrogen acts as a protective hormone for the heart, and that after menopause,
the heart becomes more vulnerable to disease.
For the
prevention of the disease, Hammoudeh recommended exercise, saying it helps
reduce stress. He asserted the importance of “not getting angry or pushing
ourselves beyond our limits physically, if we aren’t used to it, and learning
to accept and cope with life’s challenges”.
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