People with high stress levels more prone to 'broken heart syndrome': Study

A recent study, published in journal Cardiovascular Research, revealed that two molecules associated with high-stress levels have been implicated in development of broken heart syndrome, a condition that mainly affects post-mepausal women and is usually brought on by severe stress. According to research, syndrome is formally kwn as takotsubo cardiomyopathy and it is characterised by weakening of heart’s main pumping chamber. It was first identified in 1990 in Japan and it looks and sounds like a heart attack and is often confused for one as well. 

As per study, syndrome affects an estimated 2,500 people in United Kingdom each year. researchers said that it carries a risk of complications similar to that of an actual heart attack. y said that it is still unclear what causes takotsubo cardiomyopathy, however, y ded that sharp spikes in renaline caused by acute stress like bereavement, car accidents, earthquakes and even happy events such as weddings are understood to drive loss of movement in part of heart wall, which n precipitates acute heart failure. 

study explained that two molecules - called microRNA-16 and microRNA-26a - that are linked to depression and increased stress levels h previously been detected in blood of takotsubo patients. study authors assessed impact of exposing cells from human hearts and rat hearts to two molecules. y concluded that both sets of heart cells were more sensitive to renaline. 

 Long-term stress, takotsubo response linked to sudden shock

le study author, Dr Liam Couch from Imperial College London, explained that in patients with takotsubo, bottom of heart stops beating, and top of heart beats more. Dr Liam said that team found exact same thing happens when exposure to molecules - in an experimental setting - are increased. He said that it reproduced exactly what happens in takotsubo, so it me it more likely for syndrome to occur. 

Overall, researchers said that findings appeared to link long-term stress and dramatic takotsubo response to a sudden shock. However, y went on to say that problem is that it is t possible, for w, to diagse takotsubo in patients before it happens, making it difficult to teat wher se molecules are elevated in real-life cases. But Dr Liam said that if researchers kw that someone’s h takotsubo, oretically y can measure molecules and n predict if y are likely to have it again because re is a one in five chance that y could have it again. 

(Im: Unsplash)