"Broken Heart Syndrome" Is Increasingly Common Amid A Pandemic

"Broken heart syndrome" is increasingly common amid a pandemic

The pandemic leads to an increase in various types of stress: economic, social, emotional. Scientists believe that the increased incidence of stress cardiomyopathy is just one of the consequences of this negative impact.

Photo: CC0 Public Domain

Broken heart syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy is a relatively rare heart disease. With it, against the background of acute emotional stress, the ability of the heart muscle to pump blood sharply decreases. Its manifestations can resemble a heart attack. Recovery usually takes a few days or weeks, but death is possible.

American doctors found that against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, "broken heart syndrome" has become much more common. Their little research is published in the JAMA Network Open.

The new study assesses the number of cardiac patients in two Ohio hospitals. Scientists from the Cleveland Clinic compared the statistics for spring 2020 with those of the previous two years. The study reviewed the medical history of nearly 2 thousand patients. The prevalence of "broken heart syndrome" during the pandemic has approximately doubled.

Stress cardiomyopathy has become much more common in people who are not infected with the coronavirus. Scientists believe that the increase in the pressure of stress factors - psychological, economic, social - was the cause of the increase in the incidence.

“The pandemic has created an accompanying unhealthy environment. Emotional distancing is not a healthy phenomenon. Economic pressure affects health. We are seeing the number of non-coronavirus deaths increase and our study says stress cardiomyopathy is exacerbated by the stress created by the pandemic,”said Dr. Ankur Kalra, lead author of the study.