Tag Archive for: cardiomyopathy

Broken Hearts and Octopus Traps

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Broken heart syndrome (BHS) has several names, such as stress-induced cardiomyopathy. One you’ve probably never heard is takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

BHS is similar to other forms of cardiomyopathy in that the heart gets significantly weaker. If you view the appearance of the heart during echocardiography, the bottom of the heart, specifically the left ventricle, is weaker and balloons out more than normal when the heart contracts. Healthcare professionals in Japan thought it looked like the takotsubo, a pot used by Japanese fishermen for trapping octopus, thus the name.

The symptoms of BHS are severe pain deep in the chest along with shortness of breath. For some, there may be a build-up of fluid in the lungs that causes coughing and an inability to sleep lying down. It feels like a heart attack. Some of the changes in the EKG may look like a heart attack, but an angiogram will show no blockages causing a heart attack. Enzymes that rise during a heart attack will not follow the same pattern. The diagnosis can be confirmed by an echocardiogram which will show the ballooning effect.

On Saturday, I’ll finish up the treatment of BHS and what may help to prevent it.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Broken Heart Syndrome

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This week’s focus is on American Heart Month and specifically heart disease in women. While heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women, there’s one type of heart disease that affects more women than men: broken heart syndrome. Can you die from a broken heart? Absolutely. We’ll find out how this week.

Cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the muscle tissue of the heart. There are four major forms of cardiomyopathy and several minor ones that can affect men, women, and even children. Cardiomyopathy affects up to one in five people and most don’t know that they have it until serious symptoms start to develop. Shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling in the ankles are the first symptoms people may notice, and the symptoms get more severe as the heart continues to weaken. Treatment can range from medications to a heart transplant in severe cases.

Broken heart syndrome is a special type of cardiomyopathy. The primary cause is severe stress such as the death of a loved one, hence the name. It’s not limited to extreme bad news; extreme good news can initiate the process as well. I’ll explain what happens to the heart in Thursday’s post. Until then, give your loved ones extra hugs and kisses today. More than anything, give them the most important thing above all else: time.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: http://bit.ly/2kWCbsT