Women are less likely than men to die from the stress-related heart condition known as ‘broken heart syndrome’, suggests research, which found that despite the condition actually being more common among women, their death rate was just 5.5% compared with 11.2% for men.
CBS reports that the condition, formally known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is associated with severe emotional distress or stressful events, like the death of a loved one. Symptoms typically include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, had analysed nearly 200 000 US adults with data from 2016 to 2020.
The cause of the mortality discrepancy between men and women is not fully understood, the authors said, adding it could be due to hormonal differences or physical stress being a more common trigger for men than emotional stress.
“Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a serious condition with a substantial risk of death and severe complications,” said author Dr Mohammad Reza Movahed, an interventional cardiologist and clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona’s Sarver Heart Centre.
In the five-year study period, complications from the condition included cardiogenic shock, where the heart can’t adequately pump blood, which occurred in 6.6% of people; atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heart beating, in 20.7%; cardiac arrest in 3.4%; congestive heart failure in 35.9% and stroke in 5.3%.
Movahed said patients with stress-induced cardiomyopathy should be monitored for serious complications and treated promptly, adding that some complications may be preventable with early treatment methods.
The author also called the continued high death rate “alarming”, suggesting more research is needed for better treatment options and new therapeutic approaches to this condition.
Study details
High mortality and complications in patients admitted with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy with more than double mortality in men without improvement in outcome over the years
Mohammad Reza Movahed, Elimira Javanmardi and Mehrtash Hashemzadeh.
Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on 14 May 2025
Abstract
Background
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy continues to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity. The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcome data of patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy using a large inpatient database.
Methods and Results
We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for our study. We evaluated trends, mortality, and complications of patients admitted with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy from available years 2016 to 2020 in adults >18. A total of 199 890 patients with Takotsubo were found in our database with 83% being female and higher prevalence with age, White race, and highest income. Mortality was high at 6.5% with no significant improvement over the years studied. Furthermore, major complications were substantial. 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%. Mortality was more than double in men in comparison to women (11.2% versus 5.5%).
Conclusions
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is associated with high mortality and complications with no improvement in outcome over the 5‐year study with higher mortality in men. Further improvement in care is needed to improve outcomes.
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