Men are twice as likely to die from the stress-related heart condition commonly called "broken heart syndrome" compared to women, according to new research.
The condition, formally known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is associated with severe emotional distress or stressful events, such as the death of a loved one. Symptoms typically include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat.
A study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association analyzed nearly 200,000 U.S. adults with data from 2016 to 2020. It found that despite the condition being more common among women, the death rate among them was 5.5%, compared to 11.2% for men.
The cause of the mortality discrepancy is not fully understood, the authors said, adding it could be due to hormonal differences or physical stress being a more common trigger for men than emotional stress.
"Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a serious condition with a substantial risk of death and severe complications," study author Dr. Mohammad Reza Movahed, an interventional cardiologist and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona's Sarver Heart Center, said in a news release.
In the five-year study period, complications from the condition included cardiogenic shock, where the heart can't adequately pump blood, which occurred in 6.6% of people; atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heart beating, in 20.7%; cardiac arrest in 3.4%; congestive heart failure in 35.9% and stroke in 5.3%.
Movahed said patients with stress-induced cardiomyopathy should be monitored for serious complications and treated promptly, adding that some complications may be preventable with early treatment methods.
The author also called the continued high death rate "alarming," suggesting more research is needed for better treatment options and new therapeutic approaches to this condition.
Sara Moniuszko