Carrie Fisher Debbie Reynolds: do you really can die of sadness for the loss of a loved one? – LA NACION (Argentina)

Cardiomyopathy takotsubo is the correct name for a bad heart that might well be explained as a “broken heart”

Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds died in the same week. Photo: Getty

Can you die of sadness?

That’s what many are wondering following the case of actress Debbie Reynolds , 84 years, who passed away this Wednesday, a day after the death of his daughter, is also actress Carrie Fisher .

What is certain is that cases like this are not uncommon. Similar stories of relatives who die within hours or days of difference do you think that this can be a pattern.

research published in 2014 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, found that, although it happened rarely, the number of people who suffered a heart attack or a stroke in the month after the death of a loved one was double that of a control group of people that I was not going through any grief.

In the group of mourners, 30.447 people, 50 of them suffered any of the conditions listed above, or 0.16%, Whereas in the group without duels, only 0.08%.

One of the authors of the study, dr. Sunil Shah, of the University of London, said to said to the BBC: “frequently use the term ‘broken heart’ to refer to the pain of losing a loved one. Our study shows that bereavement can have a direct effect on the health of the heart“..

Heart dazed

Some people talk about “syndrome of broken heart”, known more formally as stress cardiomyopathy or cardiomyopathy takotsubo.

“it Is a temporary condition in which the heart muscle weakens suddenly, or stuns. The left ventricle, one of the chambers of the heart, changes of form”, as explained on the British Heart Foundation.

x-Ray of a patient suffering from cardiomyopathy / SPL.

The scientific name, cardiomyopathy takotsubo comes from the japanese word used to refer to a type of trap with round bottom and narrow neck used to hunt octopus. The stress suddenly causes the heart’s left ventricle -which pumps blood – get in this way.

The abnormality may be caused by an emotional shock. “Close to three-quarters of people diagnosed with cardiomyopathy takotsubo have experienced emotional stress or significant physical before you get sick“, says the foundation. This stress could be due to a duel, but also to any other problem.

There are documented cases of people who suffer from the condition after his colleagues get scared with some joke, or suffer from the stress of speaking before a large group of people.

it Is speculated that the sudden release of hormones -in particular, adrenaline – causes the stunning of the heart muscle.

heart Attack

This situation is different to a heart attack, which is when the heart stops, because the blood flow is constricted, perhaps by clogged arteries.

“The majority of heart attacks occur due to blockages and blood clots forming in the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart,” says an article on the broken heart syndrome published by the Johns Hopkins University.

Many people recover from the syndrome of broken heart and continues with his life. Photo: Shutterstock

The majority of patients who suffer from cardiomyopathy “have coronary artery disease quite normal and do not have blockages or severe blood clots,” says the center on its web site.

Many people simply recover. The stress goes away and the heart returns to its normal form.

But in other patients, such as the elderly or those with a heart condition, the change in the shape of the heart can lead to a fatal outcome.

did you Die of love?

there is Also evidence of an increased risk of death after the hospitalization of a member of a couple, according to a study published in 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Other research published in 2011 suggests that the odds that the fellow survivor die increase for six months after the departure of his partner.

Specialists point out that a marriage in which the spouses mutually support one another acts as a shock absorber of the stress. Couples also monitor each other and encourage healthy behavior: remember to take your medications, for example, and check that you don’t drink too much.

Whatever the science behind “broken heart syndrome”, the results are mixed. on the one hand, there is the pain of the family that loses at the same time to two people who love each other. But also, relief that if you both were deeply in love, pass on to a “better life” together.

Cardiomyopathy takotsubo is the correct name of this evil heart, but “broken heart” explains it best.

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