Heartbreak, Sudden Joy Share Similar Health Effect

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Being heartbroken and overly joyful turn out can equally cause health effects as it is often known as happy heart syndrome. This is related to takotsubo cardiomyopathy or cardiomyopathy, which is a condition where sudden stress causes damage to the left ventricle, sparking a sensation of pain that causes symptoms similar to a heart attack. This is commonly known as broken heart syndrome.

Researchers were first aware of this in Japan back in 1990 and the first reported case emerged in the United States in 1998, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

This syndrome is said to cause the left ventricle of the heart to bulge into a balloon shape so that it takes the shape of the Japanese fisherman's takotsubo pot, which is used to trap the octopus and gives it its name.

Just as takotsubo cardiomyopathy can occur due to extreme sadness, scientists have found it can also be triggered by sudden excessive joyfulness. A team of German researchers has found a small group of patients have takotsubo syndrome triggered by happy life events.

A study involving 910 patients with takotsubo syndrome found that 37 people had happy heart syndrome and 873 had broken heart syndrome. As per research, happy heart syndrome is mostly observed in men compared to broken heart syndrome which is prevalent among women. There were no significant differences in overall outcomes between people with happy and broken heart syndrome, the scientists revealed.

Uncertainty and sudden conditions are what make it lethal. However, it is important to note that death from broken heart syndrome or happy heart syndrome is very rare. This usually occurs after a particularly stressful event, such as the death of a loved one, natural disaster, or physical stress. 

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