/
1x
Advertisement
Health A to Z

Women's Health: Can doctors mend a broken heart?

Most patients recover quickly, but the condition can be fatal and may even recur

Medical science has shown that people really can die of a broken heart.

Broken heart syndrome – known by the technical name apical ballooning syndrome (ABS) – was recognized in the medical literature only in the 1990s. It is characterized by a reversible malfunction of the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, after emotional stress such as loss of a loved one or physical stress such as surgery or an automobile accident. ABS has been diagnosed mainly in postmenopausal women, but the reasons for this, and the underlying causes, remain unknown.

In what they are claiming is the largest review of this condition ever conducted, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., studied 100 confirmed cases of ABS, finding that one in 10 patients suffered a recurrence of the syndrome within a four-year period. Furthermore, patients with ABS associated with physical stress were less likely to survive than patients who had suffered emotional stress.

Of the 100 patients, 17 had died within the followup period, and in most of these cases the event precipitating the ABS was physical, notes Dr. Charanjit Rihal, a cardiologist and study researcher. Since these patients were suffering other physical ailments, it is not surprising their mortality rate was so high, he says.

Rihal doesn't have an explanation for the high rate of ABS recurrence, but he speculates that some people might have a genetic predisposition toward developing the condition.

In a second study, Rihal and his colleagues examined the heart's blood supply in 51 female ABS patients and 14 patients without the syndrome. They found that 69 per cent of ABS patients had abnormal blood flow in the small vessels feeding the heart. "We think this finding is a clue to the cause of ABS."

ABS mimics a heart attack, but most patients tend to recover quickly, Rihal says.

GET CHATELAINE IN YOUR INBOX!

Subscribe to our newsletters for our very best stories, recipes, style and shopping tips, horoscopes and special offers.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Chatelaine celebrates, inspires, informs and empowers. We know that Canadian women contain multitudes, and we cover all of the issues—big and small—that matter to them, from climate change to caregiving, Canadian fashion and what to cook now.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Copy link
The cover of Chatelaine magazine's spring 2025 issue, reading "weekend prep made easy"; "five delicious weeknight meals", "plus, why you'll never regret buying an air fryer"; "save money, stay stylish how to build a capsule wardrobe" and "home organization special" along with photos of burritos, chicken and rice and white bean soup, quick paella in a dutch oven, almost-instant Thai chicken curry and chicken broccoli casserole in an enamelled cast-iron skillet

Subscribe to Chatelaine!

Want to streamline your life? In our Spring 2025 issue, we’ll show you how—whether it’s paring down your wardrobe, decluttering your messiest spaces or spending way less time cooking thanks to an easy, mostly make-ahead meal plan for busy weeknights. Plus, our first annual Pantry Awards.