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How a broken heart affects your body - Roni Shanoada
How a broken heart affects your body - Roni Shanoada
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คำบรรยาย (76)
0:06
Losing a loved one can be one of the most traumatic experiences
0:10
of a person’s life.
0:12
Grief brings on a whole host of strong emotions
0:16
that impact both our mental and physical health.
0:19
But is it possible for these powerful feelings to endanger your life?
0:24
In other words, can you actually die from a broken heart?
0:30
One of the most widely documented medical phenomena
0:33
addressing this question is the widowhood effect.
0:36
Studies of elderly couples have found that a person’s risk of dying
0:40
can increase by up to 90% over the three months following their spouse’s death,
0:46
leading a significant number of couples to pass away months, weeks,
0:52
or even days apart.
0:54
There are a lot of theories explaining this effect.
0:58
One study found that severe grief and depression
1:01
were associated with higher levels of inflammatory proteins in the blood,
1:05
potentially impairing the immune system.
1:08
And depression, combined with the loss of a supporting partner,
1:12
can make it hard for a person to keep up with their daily health needs.
1:16
Similarly, chronic stress can alter hormone levels, impair digestion,
1:21
and dysregulate the immune system.
1:24
But while all these factors can reduce life expectancy,
1:28
there’s another condition where powerful emotions
1:30
can directly endanger someone’s life:
1:33
takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
1:36
Also known as stress cardiomyopathy, or “broken heart syndrome,”
1:42
this was originally labeled by Japanese doctors in 1990,
1:46
who named the condition after the Japanese word for an octopus trap.
1:50
In takotsubo cardiomyopathy,
1:53
the left ventricle— one of the heart’s four chambers—
1:56
pools with blood and balloons outward,
1:59
giving it a distinctively takotsubo-like shape.
2:04
And while most patients can recover over several weeks,
2:07
roughly 5% will experience a potentially lethal cardiac arrest.
2:13
While the exact cause of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is still being studied,
2:18
the condition often appears after a sudden traumatic event.
2:22
And since cases have been triggered by both shocking grief
2:25
and unexpected happiness,
2:28
it's likely not the nature of the emotion that matters, but the intensity.
2:33
Intense emotional events lead to a sudden increase in two hormones:
2:38
epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, and norepinephrine.
2:42
Both these hormones interact with beta-adrenergic receptors,
2:46
which have a high concentration in the left ventricle.
2:50
So during takotsubo cardiomyopathy,
2:52
researchers believe epinephrine and norepinephrine flood the left ventricle,
2:58
triggering it to contract rapidly and repeatedly.
3:02
Within minutes, this activity exhausts the ventricle.
3:05
And since it’s unable to pump effectively, blood begins to pool.
3:11
This hormonal spike can also cause spasms in the blood vessels
3:14
that supply the heart with oxygen and nutrients.
3:17
So despite all the blood inside the heart,
3:20
the muscle tissue itself may not be getting enough blood flow to function.
3:25
The result of all this is something that often feels like a heart attack
3:29
without actually being one.
3:31
People undergoing takotsubo cardiomyopathy
3:34
often experience intense chest pain and shortness of breath,
3:39
even though their arteries aren’t blocked
3:40
like they would be during a heart attack.
3:43
This similarity in symptoms also makes the condition difficult to diagnose,
3:48
and it's easily confused for more common cardiac conditions.
3:52
Fortunately, the initial treatment for takotsubo cardiomyopathy
3:56
and a heart attack is the same.
3:59
Doctors may prescribe blood thinners to prevent clotting in the heart
4:03
and beta blockers to slow the heart's contractions.
4:07
Beyond that, patients might take blood thinners
4:09
and blood pressure medications to protect their heart in the long run.
4:13
But there currently aren’t any specific treatments for takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
4:18
We also don't know exactly when it will strike.
4:22
The population that appears most at risk is postmenopausal women,
4:27
perhaps because estrogen helps prevent cardiovascular disease,
4:31
and menopause decreases estrogen production.
4:34
But obviously anyone can experience traumatic emotions.
4:38
The good news is that in most cases patients make a full recovery.
4:43
Because while our bodies are sensitive to the ups and downs of our emotions,
4:47
they're also resilient.
4:50
And much like a broken bone,
4:52
even a broken heart can heal with time and care.
