Is there a surge in broken-heart syndrome on valentine’s day?
The past couple of years may have witnessed less media hype on and before Valentine’s Day and many people have been spared unnecessary heartache. I am sure Cupid is often amazed at the extent some of us go on this single day when ideally we should be showing love every day we are blessed with life.
When love goes bad or one’s expectations are not met on Valentine’s Day for instance, some people may suffer what we refer to as Broken-Heart Syndrome. We may think this is purely an emotional phenomenon BUT there is evidence that the heart literally breaks and even the best heart doctors may struggle to differentiate it from a Heart Attack. The good news is that when your heart breaks from love gone bad, loss of a loved one, financial challenges and even strangely extreme happiness such as winning a huge amount of money or even a surprise mega party, all the changes are reversible from a few days to a maximum of two to three months. Women seem to bear the brunt of this syndrome especially after menopause. I remember years ago whenever any of my team members at the emergency prompted me that a young lady had just been brought in with “hysteria” you could bet your last crumpled Ghana cedi that there was love in the mix. The story will often unfold slowly and the “unconscious” lady will promptly sit up in bed and spend a significant time being counselled; maybe we should have run more tests on their hearts at the time.
Broken Heart Syndrome may have symptoms that feel like a heart attack and may include chest pain and shortness of breath BUT unlike a heart attack it is not caused by clogged arteries, instead, it may be precipitated by an emotionally stressful event such as hearing or seeing on social media that your ride or die valentine had other plans on the Red Day.
It appears that stress hormones overwhelm the heart causing heart vessels to go into spasm and instantly reducing oxygen to the heart muscle and mimicking a heart attack. This “stunning” of the heart may be associated with dizziness, fainting, nausea, irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure. These symptoms may start from a few minutes to hours after the stressful event.
Fortunately you will rarely die from broken heart syndrome and you are not more likely to suffer from broken heart syndrome if you already have heart disease but some risk factors do exist:
- Being female
- Age 50 years and above for both males and females
- Your genes may predispose you
- Having a head injury or seizure disorder
- Having anxiety or depression
Some blood tests and ECG/EKG may show heart injury but other heart tests may make the picture clearer though the first few hours can be difficult to tell and one will need to be started on medication to protect the heart.
Fortunately the heart changes from Broken Heart Syndrome are easily reversible and people recover much quicker than someone who has suffered a heart attack. Rarely someone may have complications from this such as heart valve damage or heart failure.
Did we have a surge in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (aka Broken Heart Syndrome) this past Valentine season? “I cannot know, I cannot tell” but the emotional challenges people go through on this single day may be enough to precipitate Broken Heart Syndrome and taking care of our health holistically including mental, social and physical health will go a long way to speed up our recovery when we happen to be hit by this bug.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/ Mobissel
(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr Essel is a medical doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise.
References:
- Broken-Heart Syndrome- Mary Jo DiLonardo, WebMD
- Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy – Harvard Health Publishing
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
