New research suggests takotsubo cardiomyopathy also known as stress cardiomyopathy, and most commonly known as "Broken Heart Syndrome" may be more serious and real than previously thought. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is similar to other heart attacks in its onset of symptoms such as cold sweats, chest pain, etc. but it's missing the key component usually found in "traditional" heart attacks, namely blocked coronary arteries. In fact, this style of “heart attack” has been found in otherwise healthy individuals. In studies past, the primary mechanism of action in takotsubo cardiomyopathy has been attributed to some sort of sudden onset, severe stress, such as loss of a close loved one, sudden significant financial ruin, etc. However, new research suggests that while emotional distress is still a large contributor in the onset of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, physical stressors (i.e. infections) may also contribute to the onset of this attack even more so. Nonetheless, it appears stress, whether physical or emotional can take a significant toll on heart health. Further complicating this phenomena is the fact that the stress does not necessarily need to be “bad stress” it may also include sudden “surprises”. The essential component appears to be the large influx of stress hormones acting on the heart which causes the left ventricle to “balloon” out. The investigation of the exact mechanism of action is ongoing and not yet well understood, however, another proposed mechanism is found in ventricular fibrillation, where the sudden onset of stress hormones causes the left ventricle to beat erratically, not allowing for relaxation and ultimately leading to cardiac arrest and loss of circulation of blood to the brain
Therefore, in short, it’s difficult if not impossible to avoid sudden life stressors. At this point, recommendations to avoid this type of “heart attack” are like most, exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, and work to reign in psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. Grad/med students should take note, if your own health and well-being isn’t put first, it may become impossible to help others.
Read more here: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/stress-cardiomyopathy-a-different-kind-of-heart-attack-201509038239
Very interesting article about a health issue that I think is often overlooked in the medical world. I believe that we oftentimes look at stress as a side effect, when really it may actually be the cause. Stress can be just as damaging to one's body, as you have pointed out in the form of stress cardiomyopathy, as many other well-known bad habits, such as smoking cigarettes. According to an article from another biomedical blog, researchers at Columbia University compared the effects of stress to smoking five cigarettes a day. This same article also says that stress can be responsible for raising LDL (bad cholesterol) and blood pressure, which can both lead to blocked arteries, so it may be possible that stress cardiomyopathy is not all that different from a "traditional" heart attack. Stress isn't a really a condition that is avoidable, and almost everyone is bound to experience different stresses at some point, so it's important for people to know what works best for them to reduce stress, and hopefully, reduce the risk of a stress-related heart attack.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.premierbiomedical.com/being-stressed-is-as-damaging-for-your-heart-as-smoking-five-cigarettes-a-day-2/
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ReplyDeleteWow, this article is very interesting and makes me think about managing my stress better. I myself get very stressed out over school, as we all do, and never really think about the side effects that come with being stressed out for long periods of time. People should take stress more seriously because it can throw our homeostasis out of wack for long periods of time, and this can cause serious damage to our health. I also found on the American Heart Association, that stress contributes to many heart disease cases. It contributes to an an increased heart rate due to releasing of adrenaline. This adrenaline increases the heart rate, breathing rate, and increases blood pressure from the flight or fight response you talked about which can take a toll on the hearts health. If the heart is constantly at an increased heart rate, the heart can become damaged resulting in heart problems. Stress also leads us to other habits such as drinking and smoking which are harmful to the body as well. Also, I know this is true for me, stress can lead to physical inactivity. When I am stressed, I am not active and I don't eat well. Physical inactivity can be a big role in the development of heart disease. Stress affects the heart in extreme ways.
Deletehttp://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/StressManagement/HowDoesStressAffectYou/Stress-and-Heart-Health_UCM_437370_Article.jsp
However, I think it is important to realize that stress also affects many other parts of the body that are vital for us to maintain healthy. Kicking our body out of homeostasis is a big problem and can have serious consequences. People need to become more aware of the side effects that come along with being stressed because stress is a part of everyone's life, and knowing how to deal with stress can be very beneficial to people's health.
Thanks for sharing this interesting information, Aaron.
ReplyDeleteI have known someone first hand who has experienced Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. There was no prior medical history of heart disease, and the onset of this cardiomyopathy was attributed to the patient experiencing acute emotional distress due to devastation over a recent cancer diagnosis.
However, it is interesting that you mention other factors such as infection may also play a role in Takotsubo’s. I wonder if the person’s emotional distress coupled with the severely weakened immune system due to cancer was what led to the cardiomyopathy (high troponin values in the blood sample, leading to an ECHO which confirmed the diagnosis of Takotsubo’s). I remember health care providers said this diagnosis was fairly rare, though. I wonder if living the Colorado lifestyle (fairly active and healthier diet than other regions of US), contributes to providers here seeing less of this diagnosis.