Broken heart syndrome ... Did it happen to Carrie Fisher's mom?

• April 16, 2024

Being under emotional stress because of the loss of a child, a partner or a loved one makes people four times more likely to suffer a cardiovascular event, better known as Broken Heart Syndrome.

This week, Carrie Fisher's mother, Debbie Reynolds, died a day after her daughter. Although little information has been published on the cause, many fans and friends of both actresses agree that he may have died from the syndrome.

A study from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals that this condition affects more women than men and the symptoms resemble those of a heart attack.

The difference is that patients suffering from Broken Heart Syndrome or Takotsubo Heart Disease (better known clinically), do not have obstruction in the arteries or the heart shows permanent damage.

The characteristic of the disease is that the heart takes the shape of a balloon and weakens the tip of the left ventricle or main chamber of the heart.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine published in 2005 is one of those that confirmed that a flood of stress hormones may be able to "stun" the heart to produce cardiac spasms in healthy people.

Other research in 2011 in the journal Coronary Artery Disease described how the condition appears to be more common in postmenopausal women and suggested that their lack of estrogen may make them more vulnerable.

In most patients, the symptoms disappear after a few weeks, and they recover completely. Others may face more serious complications, such as heart failure and death.

Video Medicine: Could broken heart syndrome have caused Debbie Reynolds' death? (April 2024).