Broken Heart Syndrome, also known as Takotsubo Syndrome, remains a medical mystery to this day. It causes sudden and temporary heart failure, leading to chest pain, shortness of breath, or rapid heartbeat, much like a heart attack. German scientists are currently investigating the exact causes of this condition.
Sudden Heart Failure
The heart fails without warning, and you realize you've lost control of your senses, as something beyond your control takes place. At this point, the heart muscle appears deformed.
Strong emotions were long believed to be the only triggers. Cardiologist Christian Templin from the University Hospital of Greifswald explains in an interview published on Tagesschau:
“In the past, the condition was described as being caused by emotional stress.”
For a long time, only emotional triggers like the death of a loved one, workplace bullying, or a serious medical diagnosis were associated with the condition. However, in recent years, physical triggers have become a focus of study.
These physical triggers include acute neurological conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, or brain hemorrhage.
Templin notes:
“About a third of patients do not have a clear trigger.”
Current research also reveals that:
“The mortality rate of Takotsubo Syndrome is comparable to that of a heart attack,”
according to cardiologist Thomas Stiermaier from the University Hospital of Lübeck.
What Happens in the Heart?
In Takotsubo Syndrome, the lower part of the left ventricle balloons out like an inflated balloon and stops pumping blood. Instead, the center of the heart compensates by pumping faster, but it cannot keep up.
One serious consequence of Takotsubo Syndrome is that blood can pool in the ballooned ventricle, potentially leading to the formation of a blood clot (thrombus). If that clot reaches the brain through blood vessels, it may cause a stroke.
Additionally, patients often experience circulatory collapse, which is why emergency medical care is always necessary.
Research is ongoing in many German universities and university hospitals. For example, Thomas Stiermaier is investigating the role of active inflammatory cells in Takotsubo Syndrome, which might be a potential trigger.
Stiermaier states:
“There is a wide variety of important immune cells, and if we can identify the critical ones in Takotsubo Syndrome, we can target them with specific medication. We are on the right path.”
The exact mechanism of the disease has not yet been deciphered. However, one thing is clear to researchers:
Takotsubo Syndrome may mimic a heart attack in symptoms, but it is fundamentally different.
Unlike a heart attack, no blood vessel is blocked, and no part of the heart muscle dies.
There is currently no specific treatment, but patients are often given medications used for heart failure. In many cases, the heart muscle recovers afterward, although it may take around eight weeks for the heart to return to normal function.
Source: DW Arabic