Broken Heart Syndrome (Takotsubo cardiomyopathy) has only been widely recognized outside of Japan since 2005.

The symptoms can be similar to a heart attack and are triggered by emotional or physical stress. It was known to be more likely found in women, but a recent study by the Journal of the American Heart Association showed that it is six to 12 times more common in women over 50 than in men or young women.

The study looked at 130,000 cases from 2006 to 2017, so the numbers don’t reflect the impact from the pandemic, the authors noted.

Learn more here about Broken Heart syndrome’s short- and long-term impacts on patients and our growing understanding about the connection between the brain and the heart.