Doctors said the man was experiencing takotsubo cardiomyopathy — also known as broken heart syndrome, as documented in a 2021 case study.
As the heart struggles to properly pump blood, symptoms resemble those of a heart attack, including chest pain, heart palpitations and irregular heartbeat.
They are meant to increase our blood pressure and raise our heart rate, but extreme levels can temporarily “stun” cells in the heart’s tissue, leading to TC, Movahed explained.
Men are thought to produce more catecholamines during stressful situations compared with women, possibly leading men to present with more severe cases of TC, he suggested.
Deadly complications from TC include blood clots, stroke, cardiac arrest and heart failure, Lemor said.
(CNN)—When a 59-year-old man began experiencing severe chest pain and shortness of breath, he came to Beijing’s Peking University First Hospital for a procedure.
He had cancerous bladder tumors removed four months prior. He made every effort to project strength around his family and shunned conversations about his health. In private, his intense worry about a cancer recurrence kept him up at night.
According to a 2021 case study, the man had takotsubo cardiomyopathy, which is also referred to as broken heart syndrome. Although the rare stress-induced heart condition has mostly been seen in women, a May study in the Journal of the American Heart Association revealed that men may be more susceptible to the illness’s fatal consequences.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as TC, is thought to be brought on by intense emotional or physical experiences, such as hearing of a loved one’s passing, winning the lottery, or moving a heavy couch. TC happens when the heart muscle is overloaded with stress hormones, which causes a portion of it to “freeze” in place. Heart attack-like symptoms, such as palpitations, irregular heartbeat, and chest pain, occur when the heart struggles to pump blood effectively.
The recent study examined information from almost 200,000 TC patients who were admitted to hospitals in the US between 2016 and 2020. Although 83 percent of cases were in women, men were more than twice as likely to die from the illness at a mortality rate of 11.2 percent.
According to Dr. Mohammad Reza Movahed, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson and a coauthor of the study, “the differences between men and women are a very striking finding.”. It presents a novel, intriguing query that merits further investigation. “.”.
Broken heart syndrome in men vs. Women.
The differences in TC death rates are poorly understood, according to Movahed, particularly because they contradict trends in other heart diseases, much like the differences between men’s and women’s cardiovascular health more generally. Nonetheless, there is a common theory that variations in hormone levels are involved.
The adrenal glands release catecholamines, which are our fight-or-flight hormones, when we are under stress. They are intended to raise our heart rate and blood pressure, but excessive dosages can momentarily “stun” heart tissue cells, which can result in TC, according to Movahed.
According to his theory, men may exhibit more severe cases of TC than women because they are believed to produce more catecholamines under stressful conditions.
According to Dr. Louis Vincent, a noninvasive-cardiology research fellow at the University of Miami who coauthored a similar, multiyear study looking into differences in men and women with TC, estrogen, a sex hormone produced at higher levels in women, may also have a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, making it easier to manage an extreme influx of catecholamines and lowering the risk of severe complications from TC. The new study did not involve Vincent.
In addition to biological differences, social factors might also be involved.
Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a cardiologist and the director of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital who was not involved in the study, stated, “The majority of (physicians) are aware of takotsubo, but they might consider it a disease that only affects women, so the diagnosis might be overlooked in men.”. “Delays in care due to misdiagnosis can occasionally result in worse outcomes.”. “”.
Additionally, men may seek treatment later in life because they think their symptoms are manageable or will go away, according to Dr. Alejandro Lemor, an assistant professor of interventional cardiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center who was not involved in the study.
Blood clots, stroke, cardiac arrest, and heart failure are among the deadly side effects of TC, according to Lemor. Medication can lower the chance of these complications, restore normal heart function, and enable a full recovery in a matter of weeks if the condition is detected early, he continued.
Research on higher mortality rates in men is necessary.
Movahed’s group was able to adjust the results to account for significant factors like age, race, income, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic lung disease.
According to Vincent, there was no patient information on other comorbid conditions, such as a history of stroke or the existence of a Covid-19 infection.
Movahed added that the new study only included in-patient diagnostic data for patients who were hospitalized with TC, meaning that patients who received outpatient care or passed away later from complications outside of the hospital were probably not included in the analysis.
According to Vincent, a more comprehensive dataset would be required in order to test treatment approaches and provide a more solid explanation for the disparities in mortality rates between men and women.
In research such as this, Vincent stated, “people should be aware that we’re presenting findings that are based on diagnostic codes and we’re not looking at patient procedures or lab results.”. However, it is effective in that it enables us to examine trends and sizable populations. Additionally, I believe it is worthwhile to investigate this trend of increased mortality in men. “”.
Avoid trying to “tough it out.”.
Bhatt, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, cautioned that sudden, severe chest pain or shortness of breath should always be treated as a medical emergency.
“Toughing it out at home or using the internet to solve it is not relevant at this time. … Avoid attempting to locate your primary care physician. Bhatt advised calling emergency services. “Time is critical. You could prevent your heart from suffering irreversible harm if you win those few hours. “”.
According to Movahed, symptoms after physical stressors—a common cause of TC in men—should not be disregarded, particularly if they occur before medical events like asthma attacks, seizures, or drug-related complications.
Additionally, Bhatt stated that while TC is brought on by unexpected stress, chronic stress can be managed with regular exercise or meditation, which can improve cardiovascular health overall and provide you with a safety net in case of emergencies.
