Daily aspirin is no longer recommended for some people
Daily low-dose aspirin is promoted by many doctors to prevent heart attacks. But new research suggests it may do more harm than good.
FAQ only, USA TODAY
A Shreveport mother was rushed to the hospital in the early hours of April 19 after her husband shot her, killing her eight children, police said.
Her children were among those killed. Her cousin Francine Monroe Brown said her family initially didn’t tell her because of the risk of a rare and sometimes fatal heart disease caused by severe mental stress. Police have not yet identified the mother. She was shot multiple times and remained hospitalized on April 22, her family said.
A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that between 2016 and 2020, nearly 200,000 adults were hospitalized with the disease, known as “broken heart syndrome.” It can occur suddenly and can lead to serious complications, said study author Dr. Mohammad Reza Mobahed, an interventional cardiac specialist.
“This is a very serious disease because once you get it, it can actually be fatal,” Movahed said.
What is Broken Heart Syndrome?
Movahed said the syndrome occurs when parts of the heart stop working due to extreme stress. This can happen after someone hears good news, such as winning the lottery, or tragic news, such as a death in the family. In the Louisiana case, victims included 3-year-old Jayla Elkins. Sheila Elkins, 5 years old. Kayla Pugh, 6 years old. Layla Pugh, 7 years old. Markedon Pugh, 10 years old. Sariah Snow, 11 years old. Kedarion Snow, 6 years old. Shamar Elkins also shot and killed a second woman, but she survived. Police have not identified her.
An asthma attack, severe bleeding, extreme pain and even the physical stress of waking up from surgery can also cause symptoms, Movahed said.
“In fact, one-third of patients had no provoking factor,” he said. “When they suddenly wake up and feel short of breath and go to the hospital, they have broken heart syndrome.”
When the syndrome affects the lower part of the heart, known as the apex, it can cause the heart to look like a balloon, Movahed said. The condition was first reported in Japan in 1990 and was named “takotsubo cardiomyopathy” after the shape of an octopus trap that resembles the shape of an affected heart, according to the American Heart Association.
Movahed said it’s not entirely clear why stress causes this condition. Hormones released during stress likely play a role, he said. However, experts do not know exactly why the disease attacks different parts of the heart in different people.
“Unfortunately, this is a disease that is still poorly understood,” Movahed said.
Symptoms may reflect a heart attack
Movahed said symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest pain can be similar to a heart attack.
Anyone experiencing such symptoms should go to the hospital, said Dr. Harmony Reynolds, former chair of the American Heart Association’s Clinical Cardiology and Stroke Women’s Health Scientific Committee. Heart attacks can also be caused by stress, she says, and it’s impossible for patients to tell the difference.
“You can’t tell it apart outside of the hospital,” says Reynolds, a cardiology professor who heads the Sarah Ross Souter Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Research at New York University School of Medicine.
Can you die from it?
According to Movahed’s research, the mortality rate for the syndrome was 6.5% and remained unchanged from 2016 to 2020.
Serious complications can occur, Movahed said, including cardiogenic shock, a life-threatening condition in which the heart suddenly stops pumping enough blood. Blood clots can form, a stroke can occur, the heart muscle can rupture, and the patient can develop an arrhythmia that can lead to cardiac arrest. Congestive heart failure occurred in more than one-third of the patients studied.
However, the syndrome is treatable and the majority of patients recover, Movahed said.
Who is most at risk?
Postmenopausal women are most at risk for this syndrome, and people with mental health conditions may be more vulnerable to this syndrome. Movahed’s research found that while the condition is more common in women, men are almost twice as likely to die from the disease. In rare cases, the syndrome can come back, he said.
Movahed and Reynolds said there is no proven way to prevent the syndrome. But maintaining physical health and treating anxiety can help prepare you for bad news, the researchers said.
Contributors: Julia Gomez and Natalie Neysa Alund
