Stress cardiomyopathy is also known as broken-heart syndrome or takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
It also causes no permanent damage to the heart, unlike other heart conditions.
It can occur at any age but has been observed to affect more women than men.
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Its a rare form of cardiomyopathy.
Unlike a heart attack, which kills heart cells, this form of cardiomyopathy temporarily stuns heart cells.
This makes recovery from the condition quicker than recovery window following a heart attack.
However, in rare cases, it can cause complications such as heart failure or low blood pressure.
Some cases of the condition have no identifiable triggers.
Causes
The exact cause of stress cardiomyopathy is unknown.
Research shows that a sudden surge in stress hormones like adrenaline is capable of stunning the hearts muscles.
The word takotsubo is derived from a Japanese octopus trap.
The shape of the left ventricle is similar to that of the trap when this occurs.
This is why the condition is also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy or takotsubo syndrome.
Stress cardiomyopathy is often brought on by emotional or physical stressors.
This often makes diagnosing stress cardiomyopathy more difficult.
Who Is at Risk?
Stress cardiomyopathy is up to nine times more prevalent in women than in men.
Age also plays a great role in determining who is at risk of developing the condition.
Recovery from this condition usually takes a couple of days to weeks.
Treatment for this condition differs from person to person and typically depends on the severity of a persons symptoms.
Medications such as beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors might be prescribed for patients with more severe symptoms.
A combination of alpha and beta-blockers might also be prescribed as a long-term treatment plan to prevent a reoccurrence.
The alpha and beta-blockers help to reduce the effects of stress hormones on the heart.
Its possible for the condition to reoccur, even after youve made a full recovery.
The condition can be life-threatening in certain cases.
The weakening of the heart muscles might cause other complications like heart failure and low blood pressure.
Coping
Stress cardiomyopathy is a reversible condition.
Its important to recognize the things that cause stress and manage them.
You should also minimize stressful triggers until a full recovery is made.
10 to 15% of people who have had the condition develop it again.
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What is Takotsubo (Broken heart syndrome)?
