Broken Heart Syndrome and Homoeopathy

Definition

Broken heart syndrome is a condition in which intense emotional or physical stress can cause rapid and severe heart muscle weakness, called cardiomyopathy, frequently causing acute heart failure, lethal ventricular arrhythmias, and ventricular rupture. (Psora/ Causa occasionalis)

Etymology

A broken heart is a term metaphor for the intense emotional, and sometimes physical stress, and dates back at least 3,000 years.

Takotsubo syndrome- Japanese- a kind of octopus’s trap (ja), because the left ventricle takes on a shape like a fishing pot.

Synonyms

  • Stress cardiomyopathy
  • Broken heart syndrome
  • Takotsubo cardiomyopathy
  • Apical ballooning syndrome

Pathophysiology

  • Broken heart syndrome utilizes adrenaline and other hormones to temporarily stun heart cells (Psora)
  • This stunning recovers very quickly, often within just a few days to a few weeks (Psora)
  • There is no permanent damage to the cardiac tissue (Psora)
  • The heart returns to normal within a few weeks with no permanent damage (Psora)

Etiology

This potentially life threatening condition can occur subsequent to a variety of emotional stressors like-

  • Extreme anger (Psora)
  • Fear (Psora)
  • Grief e.g. Death of a loved one (Psora/ Syphilis)
  • Surprise (Psora)

It can also occur following several physical stressors to the body like-

  • Difficulty in breathing as a result of severe asthma or emphysema (Psora/ Syphilis/ Sycosis)
  • Seizure (Psora)
  • Significant bleeding (Psora)
  • Stroke (Psora)

Signs and Symptoms

  • Arm pain (Psora)
  • Chest pain (Psora)
  • Dizziness (Psora)
  • Nausea and vomiting (Psora)
  • Palpitations (Psora)
  • Shortness of breath (Psora)
  • Sweating (Psora)
  • Weakness (Psora)

Differential diagnosis

The nearest match of broken heart syndrome is heart attack.

The following are dissimilarities and similarities between the two-

Difference between broken heart syndrome and heart attack

  • Sudden onset of chest pain and shortness of breath after extreme emotional or physical stress
  • ECG results are quite different from those of heart attack
  • Blood tests negative or faintly positive for heart damage
  • Echocardiography reveals enlarged and unusual movement of the lower left ventricle
  • Coronary angiography or isotope study show no signs of blockages in the coronary arteries
  • Contrary to heart attack, recovery time is quick, usually within days or weeks in broken heart syndrome

Similarities between broken heart syndrome and heart attack

  • Congestive heart failure
  • Low blood pressure
  • Shock

Diagnosis

  • Clinical history
  • Etiology
  • ECG
  • Echocardiography
  • Coronary angiography
  • Radio nucleotide scanning

Treatment

Common remedies for Broken Heart Syndrome

 

Bibliography

  •  Acute Right Heart Syndromes Principles of Critical Care, 4e
  •  Cardiomyopathy and Myocarditis > TAKOTSUBO CARDIOMYOPATHY Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine … The apical ballooning syndrome, or stress-induced cardiomyopathy, occurs typically in older women after sudden intense emotional or physical stress. The ventricle shows global ventricular dilation with basal contraction, forming the shape of the narrow-necked jar ( takotsubo ) used in Japan…
  •  Chapter 35. Myocarditis and Specific Cardiomyopathies > Tako-Tsubo Cardiomyopathy Hurst’s The Heart, 13e … to trap octopi. The clinical presentation is that of acute coronary ischemia generally preceded by a stressful emotional, physical, or psychological event such as the death of a loved one. This accounts for this syndrome’s other clinical titles, that is, broken heart syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy…
  •  Heart Disease > TAKO-TSUBO CARDIOMYOPATHY Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2016
  • Encyclopedia Homoeopathica
  • Radar 10

About Author

Dr. Rajneesh Kumar Sharma MD (Homoeopathy)

Dr. Swati Vishnoi BHMS

Dr. Preetika Lakhera BHMS

Dr. Mohammad Tayyab Daud BHMS

Dr. Mohammad Tayyab Amir BHMS

 

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