Wanda Kump took it hard when her mother's cancer progressed and she had to move her into hospice. "It took her a week to pass," says Kump, 51, of Mankato, MN. "She died June 28. I'm the baby in the family. It was hard to watch." Kump's sister-in-law died the next day, making the stress overwhelming, Kump says. Then came her mom's funeral. When she was leaving, she began to feel dizzy and nauseated. She fell hard on a concrete sidewalk. A friend took her to the hospital, where they confirmed her hip was broken. As they ran tests to make sure her heart was strong enough for the hip surgery, something else came up. "We noticed an EKG abnormality," says Susan Haugh, the certified nurse practitioner in cardiology who helped treat her at Mayo Clinic Health System Southwest Region. There was an abnormal motion of the heart wall as it was pumping, she says. The hospital did more testing to be sure that wasn't the result of blocked arteries. Then came the stunning diagnosis: takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The condition is better known as broken heart syndrome. Researchers have confirmed in recent years what people long suspected: Extreme stress can literally break your heart. Although rare, it can happen when people or pets die, during stressful medical treatments, after a job loss, or when other overwhelming stresses occur. Symptoms can mimic that of a heart attack. The syndrome mainly affects women. While the medical literature on broken heart syndrome is sparse, more cases are coming to light, with additional information about how it happens and how long-term the risks are. Recently, Canadian researchers reported a case of broken heart syndrome in a 63-year-old woman on treatments for metastatic breast cancer. Over a 6-year period, researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found 30 patients having cancer treatment fit the criteria for broken heart syndrome. Researchers say the diagnosis should be considered in cancer patients who get chest pain. In another report, a doctor presented case histories of two older women, one treated for chronic lung disease and the other for gastritis, who had broken heart syndrome. When a patient’s heart “breaks,” the main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, weakens, leading to pain and shortness of breath. The condition is reversible and temporary but can lead to complications similar to those after a heart attack. Experts think it’s caused by a flood of hormones (such as adrenaline) produced during a stressful situation that stuns the heart. That’s what happened to Joanie Simpson, 63, who had broken heart syndrome 3 years ago after the death of her beloved Yorkshire terrier, Meha. Meha’s death was just one of many challenges Simpson had at the time. Her husband was about to retire, she recalls. The sale of some property wasn't going smoothly. Her son was dealing with worsening back problems. Her son-in-law lost his job. Then little Meha, whom the couple had adopted when she was just a year old, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Her decline was difficult to watch. And after she died, Simpson thought she was coping, but a few days later, she woke up with chest and shoulder pains, fearing the worst -- a massive heart attack. At the hospital, her doctor, Abhijeet Dhoble, MD, a cardiologist at Houston's Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute, did too. After running some tests, he found a different cause of her pain: a broken heart. More than 6,200 cases of broken heart syndrome were reported in 2012 in the United States, up from about 300 in 2006, says Dhoble. The increase, he says, is likely because more people know about the condition. Often, a patient has many things happening at once, "and something trips them over," Dhoble says. "There is almost always a very distinct stressor. If you ask patients carefully, they will tell you that." Dhoble published a study in The New England Journal of Medicine about Simpson’s case, which happened in May 2016. The condition doesn't just happen after a person or a pet dies, says Jeffrey Decker, MD, section chief of clinical cardiology at Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute of Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, MI. Nor is it always centered on a health issue. "I had a lady who was frustrated with the cable company present with this," he says. Another case was a woman who found out her daughter lost her job, says Decker, who’s also an assistant professor of medicine at Michigan State University. Severe pain can trigger the syndrome. So can an asthma attack, a fierce argument, a surprise party, or even public speaking. Symptoms mimic a heart attack -- most often, chest pains and shortness of breath. Nausea, vomiting, and palpitations can also happen. But only testing can show the diagnosis, says Dhoble. "Takotsubo" means “octopus pot" in Japanese. Decker says it got that name because when it happens, certain portions of the heart muscle do not move well. Other parts make up for that lack of movement, making the heart look like a pot used by Japanese fishermen to trap octopuses. About 95% of patients recover within a month or two. "Usually the prognosis is quite favorable," Decker says. Patients usually get the same medications used to treat congestive heart failure to support and strengthen the heart. Death is uncommon in people who don't have complications, with less than a 3% fatality rate. What’s the Risk? The news is not as good for people who get complications, which affect about 1 in 10 cases. One example is cardiogenic shock, which happens when the heart suddenly can't pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. In other words, it is sudden and severe heart failure. A team of researchers studied the records of about 198 people with broken heart syndrome who got cardiogenic shock, comparing them to 1,880 people with the syndrome who did not. Davide Di Vece, MD, a researcher at the University Hospital Zurich, found that while only 2.3% of patients without the complication died while in the hospital, 23.5% with it did. Patients with the complication were also more likely to die within 5 years of the event than people who had no complications, he says. There is no specific guideline for treating these patients, Di Vece says. Each needs to be evaluated individually and monitored closely long-term. Prevention Is Key Stopping stress, or managing it, before the overwhelming stage is the best advice. But doing that can be complicated and difficult. Joanie Simpson acknowledges that she learned that the hard way. Now, more than 3 years later, she is still doing fine and following medical advice closely to stay healthy. "You just can't take things too seriously," she says. Her goals, now that both she and her husband have retired to the Texas Hill Country, are to have fun, laugh, travel, and be with friends she loves. "To be honest with you, I'm having a ball." And has another tiny dog stolen her heart? Not yet, she says. "But we still have Buster, our cat." She and her husband talk about getting another dog, but they have been traveling and plan to do more. "We are not sure what our next destination will be," she says. "We are just looking forward to what God has in store for us next." Kump is doing well, too. She was placed on medications to help the abnormal heart wall motions improve, and her heart now looks normal, Haugh says. Kump says the first Thanksgiving without her mother was a little difficult, but medically, she is feeling much better. Still, holidays just are not the same, Kump says. "She was the glue that held us all together. We used to have Thanksgiving and Christmas at her place," says Kump, the youngest of 12 children. At Thanksgiving, Kump's daughter suggested it was time for them plan their holiday gatherings. Kump agrees. "I know she would want us to start our own traditions." Source
stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can help you manage them. Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
