Broken heart syndrome is an uncommon kind of heart attack that can be brought on by grief, fear, conflict, or other negative emotions. Positive feelings can also cause the issue, according to a recent study, and this “happy heart condition” may be more common among men.
The study used information from a registry of 2,482 individuals with stress cardiomyopathy, also known as fractured heart syndrome. The disorder, which is more common in women and results in transient changes in the structure of the heart, can also be brought on by physical stressors, such as medical illnesses or surgeries.
However, the researchers discovered that stress cardiomyopathy can occasionally be brought on by happy occasions, such as a birthday celebration, a wedding, or the birth of a grandchild. The majority of these cases involved men. Regardless of whether a person had joyful heart syndrome or broken heart syndrome, short- and long-term outcomes seemed to be similar, however more studies with more individuals are required. The study was published in JACC: Heart Failure in May 2022.