Broken Heart Syndrome

Broken heart syndrome is a short-term condition where some of your heart muscle weakens rapidly. This typically happens after a sudden physical or emotional stressor. When part of your heart isn’t working well, the other parts may work harder.

Weak heart muscle can disrupt your heart’s supply of blood and its ability to pump. If your heart isn’t pumping well, that harms your whole body. Every cell in your body relies on the steady supply of oxygen that your blood carries.

There are many other names for, and types of, broken heart syndrome, including:

• Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
• Apical ballooning cardiomyopathy (or transient apical ballooning syndrome).
• Stress cardiomyopathy (or stress-induced cardiomyopathy).
• Gebrochenes-Herz syndrome.

Types of broken heart syndrome

The four different types of broken heart syndrome are:

• Apical. This is the most common type, making up more than 80% of cases. It affects the lower half of your heart.
• Mid-ventricular. This type affects the middle section of your heart’s lower chambers (ventricles). The affected area looks like a belt or ring around your heart. The areas of your heart above and below the belt still function as they should.
• Basal. Similar to mid-ventricular, the affected area looks like a ring or belt but is higher up. The area below the belt is the only area that functions normally. This type is very rare and makes up about 2% of cases.
• Focal. This is the rarest type, making up about 1% of cases, and it involves a much smaller area than the other types. The affected area forms a bulge that sticks out noticeably from the rest of your heart. The opposite side of your heart curves inward toward the bulge.

How common is this condition?

Broken heart syndrome occurs in about 2% of people who visit a provider for a suspected heart attack. But researchers believe the true number of cases is higher because providers often don’t recognize the condition.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy mostly affects people assigned female at birth (AFAB), who make up about 89% of reported cases. This is especially likely after menopause (mean age range of 58 to 77).

One possible explanation is that the hormone estrogen protects your heart against any harmful effects of hormones your body releases in response to stress. As the level of estrogen declines with age, people AFAB might be more susceptible to the effects of sudden stress.