Women are 7.5 times more likely to suffer from a "Broken Heart Syndrome" than men
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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A sudden shock or emotional stress can lead to the development of symptoms of acute myocardial infarction, despite the fact that there can be no visible organic structural changes in the heart muscle. For the first time this problem was taken up by scientists from Japan back in 1990 and called this state "Broken Heart Syndrome".
Now researchers at the University of Arkansas (USA) have determined that this syndrome affects women more often than men.
The main reasons for the development of the "Broken Heart Syndrome" - a sudden surge of hormones and adrenaline, usually associated with emotional experiences. In this case, the heart temporarily increases, causing symptoms very similar to a heart attack, only without anatomical damage such as blocked arteries and damage to the heart muscle.
Dr. Abhishek Deshmukh, a cardiologist at the University of Arkansas, who investigated the problem of women with "Broken Heart Syndrome", examined the gender differences in this condition. Using a federal database that included data from approximately 1,000 hospitals, Deshmukh found 6,229 cases of the syndrome in 2007. Only 11% of the cases were seen in men. The study also showed that elderly women are 7.5 times more likely than men to be at risk of developing this syndrome.
In a group of people aged 55, women were 9.5 times more likely to suffer from a syndrome than men. And women over 55 are three times more likely than young women. The exact cause of gender inequality is not known. Perhaps men have more adrenaline receptors on the heart cells, so they are better able to cope with the stress and spikes of chemical compounds in the body.
The study also showed that 10% of cases of development of the "Broken Heart Syndrome" show relapses (repeated cases) of the disease, but often the heart function is fully returned to normal without anatomical damage and the need for treatment.