Time does not heal a broken heart, as it turns out
A new study suggests that not even time can mend a broken heart, as songwriters, poets and novelists have tried to convey over the decades.
Medical researchers from the University of Aberdeen have concluded that the “broken heart syndrome” can actually leave physical scars that never truly heal, as the Telegraph reports. Around 52 patients were observed over the course of four months, all aged between 28 and 87. They all suffered from takotsubo syndrome – a syndrome that is provoked when the heart muscle is suddenly “stunned” and causes the left ventricle to change shape.
The condition is triggered by intense stress, be it emotional or physical, and affects the heart’s ability to pump blood. Up to 3,000 people in the UK suffer from the syndrome each year, most of them being women.
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“This study has shown that in some patients who develop takotsubo syndrome, various aspects of heart function remain abnormal for up to four months afterwards,” said BHF associate medical director, Professor Metin Avkiran. “Worryingly, these patients’ hearts appear to show a form of scarring, indicating that full recovery may take much longer, or indeed may not occur, with current care. This highlights the need to urgently find new and more effective treatments for this devastating condition.”
In most cases of takotsubo syndrome, the left ventricle returns to normal over a few days, weeks or months. However, figures reveal that between 3% and 17% of those diagnosed die within five years of diagnosis. Almost 90% of the sufferers are female and the stressful trigger – often linked to the sudden death of a loved one – is present in 70% of cases. Unless the patients have an underlying heart problem, no further treatment is necessary. It is not known yet whether the takotsubo syndrome can be passed down through the family.
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