Motivation and emotion/Book/2018/Broken-heart syndrome

Broken-heart syndrome:
What is BHS, how does a break-up cause it, and what can be done about it?

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Overview

Tako-tsubo means a Japanese octopus pot, which was a pot that Japanese fishermen used to catch octopuses and it resembled to the left ventricle of the heart and hence, it was coined the Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.

Image 1: Left ventricular diagram

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy(broken heart syndrome/ stress induced syndrome) is a temporary heart condition that is brought on by stress. This condition was first described in the 1990s and was discovered in Japan. Emotional trauma or emotional stressors may trigger this syndrome. Example of stressors may be :

• Financial loss
• Bad news
• Domestic violence
• Intense fear
• Shock

It has the same symptoms as a heart attack but is not caused by any underlying cardiovascular disease (Gerhard Whitword,2017). It is a temporary heart condition that may also be caused due to physical illness and /or surgery. BHS has many different symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath to more serious symptoms such as Movement abnormalities in the left ventricle and Ballooning of the left ventricle. Prolonged effects of BHS may result to mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

What is broken-heart syndrome?

Broken hearth syndrome or stress induced syndrome is a temporary disruption of the heart's normal pumping function in one area of the heart (Broken heart syndrome - Symptoms and causes, 2012). What's interesting is that the other area of the heart pumps at a normal rate or with even more forceful contractions.

Broken heart syndrome is simply caused due to the hearts reactions to a surge of stress hormones like cortisol. BHS Syndrome can be triggered by not just a break up, but also by the loss of a loved one, a traumatic event, accidents, physical injury or even loneliness. So how common is this syndrome?

According to American Heart Organisation, the broken heart syndrome is quite common and as you may expect an individual experiences this syndrome at least once in their lifetime however, in a study from January 2005 to October 2010, only 256 cases of stress cardiomyopathy or BHS were reported across Europe and North America which shows that not many people report BHS. In 2007, around 12000 Americans reported having this syndrome (Derrick, 2009).

Symptoms of broken heart syndrome and a heart attack may overlap however, there are some differences. One experiences broken heart syndrome after immediate emotional or physical stress. The American heart organisation have mentioned few of them below:

• EKG results for an heart attack is different for BHS
• For BHS, blood test shows no sign of heart damage
• There are no blockages in the coronary arteries
• For BHS, tests show a balooning in the left ventrcle
• Recovery time for BHS is quick, may usually take weeks or in some cases days.

Figure 1: A broken heart

How does emotional trauma affect your heart?

• Physiology of broken-heart syndrome
• neurotransmitters and chemicals involved

http://file.scirp.org/pdf/PSYCH20110400016_74393857.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163834313002995

https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/37/37/2823/2469928

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00392-009-0028-y.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924977X10000702

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399909002797

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002914915018603

Causes of broken-heart syndrome/ stress-induced syndrome

Role of Catecholamines

Patients who were diagnosed with this syndrome can have abnormally high levels of circulating catecholamines, Wittstein et al ⁷ monitored plasma levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine in patients. Patients had levels 7 to 34 times as high as published normal values.

Examination of biopsy sample from the left ventricle of patients with broken heart syndrome have shown contraction band

Symptoms

• What are the symptoms?

How does BHS affect our mental health?

• Depression
• Anxiety
• other disorders

What are the treatment options?

Figure 2: Anxiety

• Different treatment options

Conclusion

• wrap up all the points and conclude the topic

See also

• Dopamine and love (Book chapter, 2018)
• Love and anger (Book chapter, 2018)
• Betrayal and emotion (Book chapter, 2018)

References

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/broken-heart-syndrome

Christensen, T. E., Bang, L. E., Holmvang, L., Hasbak, P., Kjær, A., Bech, P., & Østergaard, S. D. (2016). Neuroticism, depression and anxiety in takotsubo cardiomyopathy. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s12872-016-0277-4

Gerhard Whitworth, R. (2018). Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: Causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/309547.php

Lacey, C., Mulder, R., Bridgman, P., Kimber, B., Zarifeh, J., Kennedy, M., & Cameron, V. (2014). Broken heart syndrome — Is it a psychosomatic disorder?. Journal Of Psychosomatic Research, 77(2), 158-160. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.05.003

Marina, S. (2017). Tako-Tsubo Cardiomyopathy (Broken-Heart Syndrome). Journal Of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Therapy, 2(5). doi: 10.19080/jocct.2017.02.555597

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4888627/

https://bmccardiovascdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12872-016-0277-4

Is Broken Heart Syndrome Real?. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cardiomyopathy/what-is-cardiomyopathy-in-adults/is-broken-heart-syndrome-real

Derrick, D. (2009). The"Broken Heart Syndrome": Understanding Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. Critical Care Nurse, 29(1), 49-57. doi: 10.4037/ccn2009451