FR | ENG
Women's Cardiovascular Healthcare Foundation
Agir pour le Coeur des Femmes
WCHF Logo
logofg

NEWS

Tako-tsubo, broken heart syndrome

The accumulation of stress leads to emotional fragility, which can result in paralysis of the heart muscle. This is Tako-tsubo, broken heart syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy.

Tako-tsubo, broken heart syndrome

It manifests itself through heart-attack-like symptoms, mainly in anxious women, particularly during the menopause, and in people in precarious situations.
The heart goes into a state of shock in the face of one event too many, which might otherwise have been harmless. Under the effect of a massive release of stress hormones, part of the heart may no longer contract. It becomes bloated and takes on the shape of an amphora. Tako-tsubo means octopus trap in Japanese. The good news is that this form of acute heart failure is usually completely reversible when cardiological treatment is initiated early. Women are the main victims - 9 women for every 1 man - because their arteries are particularly sensitive to the effects of stress hormones and spasm more easily. Post-menopausal women are even more at risk, as they are no longer protected by their natural estrogen. Among the most frequent symptoms: shortness of breath, sudden chest pain mimicking that of a heart attack, radiating into the arm and jaw, palpitations, loss of consciousness, vagal malaise. A woman over 50, menopausal, in a situation of rupture, should not underestimate the first symptoms linked to acute emotional stress. Tako-tsubo syndrome requires urgent hospitalization, to avoid serious complications and enable treatment in cardiac intensive care units. Just as in the case of myocardial infarction, it's vital to call 15: every minute counts!

https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/sante/syndrome-du-coeur-brise-le-stress-du-covid-19-fait-augmenter-le-nombre-de-cas-08-02-2021-8423919.php

 
SEE ALSO

Forbes dinner at the Ritz Paris

Forbes France chose Agir pour le Cœur des Femmes to organize its first charity evening at the Ritz Paris, in the presence of numerous personalities from the corporate world, the media and social networks. In addition to raising funds for Agir, the evening was a further opportunity to pass on our [...]

Read more

5 simple habits to help you live longer

Exercise regularly. Eat a healthy diet. Do not smoke. Not being overweight. Do not drink too much alcohol. Putting these healthy lifestyle habits into practice after the age of 50 increases life expectancy by +14 years for women and +12 years for men, compared to those who don't. These are the [...]

Read more

Prevention saves lives

This is unacceptable: not only do fewer than one in two women have a mammogram for breast cancer screening, but these figures are also falling: 46.5% of women aged 50 to 74 had a mammogram in 2023, compared with 47.6% in 2022! Yet 9 out of 10 breast cancers can be cured when detected at an early [...]

Read more

 Your donation will help improve
prevention at the key moments
of a woman's life
DONATE NOW