Men Face Twice The Risk Of Death From Broken Heart Syndrome, Here's Why

Even a strong man breaks, and as per a recent survey by the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), men are double the chance to risk of death due to broken heart syndrome as compared to women.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, popularly known as broken heart syndrome, according to JAHA, is a kind of temporary heart condition triggered by physical or emotional stress, often brought on by traumatic life experiences such as the loss of a loved one or a divorce.

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Published on May 14, the study highlights that while women are more likely to develop the syndrome, men have a higher risk of dying from it.

What is broken heart syndrome?

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy “is a reversible left ventricular dysfunction and is triggered by emotional stress, predominantly in women, or physical stress, predominantly in men,” the study states.

“This condition is known to be associated with sex and race disparities and can lead to significant in‐hospital mortality and morbidity.”

Method of the study

Using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) between 2016 and 2020, the study analyzed nearly 200,000 cases. While women accounted for 83% of the cases, the mortality rate was significantly higher in men, 11.2% compared to 5.5% in women.

As per the recent study, the mortality was high at 6.5%, with no significant improvement over the years.

Other substantial complications include:

• Cardiogenic shock occurred in 6.6%,
• atrial fibrillation in 20.7%,
• cardiac arrest in 3.4%,
• congestive heart failure in 35.9%, and stroke in 5.3%.