A Broken Heart Can Feel Like a Heart Attack
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iStock/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) — Doctors have figured out what becomes of the broken-hearted or at least some of them: the lovelorn think they’re suffering a heart attack.
While most people who get dumped persevere, there are those who suffer physical pain so profound that they actually experience chest pains and shortness of breath.
Loyola University Health System cardiologist Sara Sirna say that broken heart syndrome is real and usually follows a traumatic event such death, divorce, a serious medical diagnosis or a financial calamity.
Meanwhile, the typical broken heart syndrome patient is generally over 50 and most often a woman.
Sirna says the good news is that this condition is “usually is reversible, with no long-lasting effects on the heart muscle.”
But doctors advise people not to take chances. If it feels like a heart attack, it could very well be one so there should be no delay in calling 911.
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