Bad News can Break Hearts: Research
Pakistan Times Health Desk

ISLAMABAD: Hearing shocking news such as learning of the death of a loved one can really break your heart, researchers said.

A team from Johns Hopkins University suggests patients can suffer days-long surges in adrenalin and other stress hormones which "stun" the heart.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, says such symptoms can be mistaken for a heart attack.

But these broken hearts can be mended the damage caused by stress is temporary, usually lasting just weeks.

Unlike most heart attacks the patients generally make a complete recovery without any permanent damage to the heart.

The researchers examined 19 patients who came into hospital with symptoms similar to those of a heart attack chest pains, fluid in the lungs, shortness of breath and heart failure.

But when these patients, who were predominantly older women, were examined it was found that they had no blockages in the arteries supplying the heart or other clinical signs of a heart attack.

And when doctors investigated further, they found that the patients had very high levels of stress hormones, particularly adrenalin and noradrenalin in their blood.

The levels seen in these patients were between seven and 34 times those seen in a group of seven heart-attack patients studied.

These stress hormones can be toxic to the heart, say the researchers, effectively stunning it.

The stressed patients also had higher than normal levels of a heart-hormone called brain natriuretic peptide, which indicates the heart is working harder than it normally should.

All of the 19 had all experienced a severe emotional shock just a few hours before the onset of their symptoms.

Around half had learnt of the death of a partner or relative. Other triggers were being the victim of an armed robbery, speaking in public and facing a court appearance as well as surprise parties.

But the stressed patients showed "dramatic improvement", and had completely recovered within two weeks.

The researchers say it is unclear exactly how stress hormones affect the heart.●