Study: Tragic events linked to chest pain, shortness of breath!
"Lost Love Really Can Cause a Broken Heart"
Confirming the wisdom of the poets and philosophers, doctors say
the sudden death of a loved one really can cause a broken heart.
In fact, they have dubbed the condition “broken heart syndrome.”
In a study published just in time for Valentine's Day, doctors
reported how a tragic or shocking event can stun the heart and
produce classic heart attack-like symptoms, including chest pain,
shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs.
"Different from a heart attack..."
In their study, doctors at Johns Hopkins University gave a name
to the condition, demonstrated through sophisticated heart tests
how it differs from a heart attack, and offered an explanation for
what causes it.
For centuries, doctors have known that emotional shocks can trigger
heart attacks and sudden deaths. Broken heart syndrome, technically
known as stress cardiomyopathy, is a different phenomenon.
The Johns Hopkins doctors documented how a dayslong surge of adrenaline
and other stress hormones can cause a decline in the heart's pumping
capacity. The researchers theorized that the hormones probably cause
tiny heart blood vessels to contract, but other explanations are possible.
Champion and colleagues treated 19 emergency room patients with the
syndrome between 1999 and 2003. For reasons that are not entirely clear,
nearly all of them were postmenopausal women.
Many were grieving over the death of a husband, parent or child. Other
triggers included a surprise party, car accident, armed robbery, fierce
argument, court appearance and fear of public speaking. MRIs and other
tests showed they had not suffered heart attacks.
"Something that happens all the time..".
“This is probably something that happens all the time,” but most people
do not seek treatment, Champion said.
Dr. Daniel Shindler, director of the echocardiography lab at Medical
School in New Brunswick, N.J., said it apparently happened to his wife
last week, when she was upset over her sister's death. The wife, who also
is a doctor, sensed abnormalities in her heart. Testing showed abnormal
rhythms, but she is fine now.
Shindler said the researchers' conclusions make sense, given the well-known
link between the brain and heart, and offer the first explanation he has
heard for the phenomenon.
Dr. Sidney Smith, former American Heart Association president, said the
study will lead more ER and heart doctors to consider the syndrome when
examining patients with chest pain.
“We'll definitely be paying more attention now than before” to patients
who are grieving, Shindler said.
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Confirming the wisdom of the poets and philosophers, doctors say
the sudden death of a loved one really can cause a broken heart.
In fact, they have dubbed the condition “broken heart syndrome.”
In a study published just in time for Valentine's Day, doctors
reported how a tragic or shocking event can stun the heart and
produce classic heart attack-like symptoms, including chest pain,
shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs.
"Different from a heart attack..."
In their study, doctors at Johns Hopkins University gave a name
to the condition, demonstrated through sophisticated heart tests
how it differs from a heart attack, and offered an explanation for
what causes it.
For centuries, doctors have known that emotional shocks can trigger
heart attacks and sudden deaths. Broken heart syndrome, technically
known as stress cardiomyopathy, is a different phenomenon.
The Johns Hopkins doctors documented how a dayslong surge of adrenaline
and other stress hormones can cause a decline in the heart's pumping
capacity. The researchers theorized that the hormones probably cause
tiny heart blood vessels to contract, but other explanations are possible.
Champion and colleagues treated 19 emergency room patients with the
syndrome between 1999 and 2003. For reasons that are not entirely clear,
nearly all of them were postmenopausal women.
Many were grieving over the death of a husband, parent or child. Other
triggers included a surprise party, car accident, armed robbery, fierce
argument, court appearance and fear of public speaking. MRIs and other
tests showed they had not suffered heart attacks.
"Something that happens all the time..".
“This is probably something that happens all the time,” but most people
do not seek treatment, Champion said.
Dr. Daniel Shindler, director of the echocardiography lab at Medical
School in New Brunswick, N.J., said it apparently happened to his wife
last week, when she was upset over her sister's death. The wife, who also
is a doctor, sensed abnormalities in her heart. Testing showed abnormal
rhythms, but she is fine now.
Shindler said the researchers' conclusions make sense, given the well-known
link between the brain and heart, and offer the first explanation he has
heard for the phenomenon.
Dr. Sidney Smith, former American Heart Association president, said the
study will lead more ER and heart doctors to consider the syndrome when
examining patients with chest pain.
“We'll definitely be paying more attention now than before” to patients
who are grieving, Shindler said.
==========================================================================
See our complete PRODUCT LIST
