Can you die of a broken heart? it can certainly feel that way, and anyone who experiences intense grief after losing a loved one may wonder whether they will survive.

Dr Alexander Lyon, who is a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Brompton, the specialist heart and lung hospital, is working with researchers at Imperial College to understand why some people die in the few days after a sudden, devastating loss.

A rush of overwhelming fear or extreme pain are the types of shock he says might also lead to catastrophic heart failure. but it’s not just “bad” emotions that can trigger a condition known as “broken heart syndrome”, Lyon says – it could equally be the shock of intense, unexpected happiness, such as winning the lottery.

The trigger for the syndrome – also called stress cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy – is the body’s sudden, massive release of adrenaline, which can “stun” the bottom half of the main pumping chamber of the heart, in effect paralysing it and requiring the top portion of the chamber to work much harder to compensate.

This, says Lyon, can be confusing to someone attempting a diagnosis, as doctors are taught that adrenaline is the “fight or flight” hormone that makes hearts pump faster and stronger. Broken heart syndrome is a condition in which adrenaline causes weakness instead. In his research Lyon is trying to find out why this type of acute stress causes the heart to get weaker, why just one part of the heart is affected by the adrenaline surge, and what factors make some people particularly susceptible – or resilient – to the hormone rush. to expand his research sample, he’s inviting anyone who thinks they may have experienced Takotsubo cardiomyopathy to contact him (uk).

Interestingly, survival rates for anyone discharged from hospital having suffered the condition are pretty much 100%. Although, he says, the condition is little known and many of the typical symptoms indicate a standard heart attack caused by a blockage to a coronary artery. This means the patient may be misdiagnosed initially.

Reliable numbers of cases are hard to come by as there is currently no official tag for logging stress cardiomyopathy as a diagnosis on relevant databases. Lyon, however, has lobbied to get the syndrome added as a datapoint, so proper statistics will soon become available. He is also setting up a European network of doctors interested in the condition, who will pool their results to increase understanding of this newly emerging condition.

Current figures suggest that in the UK about 2% of the 300,000 “heart attacks” each year will in fact be broken heart syndrome. Over 10 years, that could be up to 60,000 cases. And Lyon suggests that rather more people may be dying suddenly of the condition before arriving at hospital, without an accurate diagnosis ever being made either pre- or post-mortem. Dying of a “broken heart”, therefore, may be more common than imagined.

“Humans have always been exposed to these kinds of stresses,” says Lyon. “The only reason we know about the syndrome now is because people presenting with heart attack symptoms can have coronary angiograms very soon after their chest pain begins.

“To a cardiologist, a heart attack means a blocked coronary artery, but in this condition we find the coronary arteries are open and the blood supply is fine. We then look at the pumping chamber and it’s paralysed, plus it’s taken on a unique and abnormal shape; it looks like a Japanese fisherman’s octopus pot, called Takotsubo, hence its name.”

About 90% of diagnosed broken heart syndrome cases are in post-menopausal women – which begs the question, why aren’t men getting it? Lyon suggests that men may in fact be suffering from the condition – but collapse and die before reaching hospital and medical attention.

“Our current hypothesis is that men drop down dead if they have a big stress, whereas women recover,” he says.

“There is one guaranteed, huge, stress in everyone’s life; their birth. but for many women there is another stress, childbirth, which may happen multiple times. it would be odd if these repeated stresses gave rise to a life-threatening heart condition, so we think women have a protective factor, which, after menopause, may drop off.”

Lyon believes that when men are hit with a stress overload and very high adrenaline levels, there may be instances in which they die very suddenly. the real cause of death may not be obvious to the pathologist, he says. “The pathologist opens the heart, sees some signs of coronary artery disease, because in western society pretty well all adult men will have evidence of it, and so records coronary heart disease as the cause of death,” he says.

Sudden deaths in otherwise healthy young men in custody, young men who are high on drugs and have been forcibly restrained, and deaths under restraint in psychiatric hospitals, are all situations in which Lyon says stress cardiomyopathy should be considered.

“Restraint is a very provocative stressor, not least if you have a loss of insight because you’re high on drugs or have a psychiatric illness,” he says. “And with deaths in custody, we know that hearts are very often normal when examined, so this syndrome becomes relevant. it may be happening far more often than is reported.”

It may be a less than romantic question on Valentine’s Day, but can you, quite literally, die of heartbreak after being dumped, or from the emotional pain of a loved one’s sudden demise?

The answer, it seems, is that during the few days after experiencing extreme stress of this nature, it is possible – a thought that might prompt GPs to consider how to support people in such situations. A recent study shows that the risk of dying suddenly from a cardiac arrest is 16 times higher the day after losing a spouse.

A cheery thought for Valentine’s Day lovers looking forward to a long and happy life together…

Contact Dr Lyon at uk Hear him at the free Valentine’s Day Mending Broken Hearts seminar, 6-8pm 14 February at the Pathology Museum, London E1

Living with a bird can be a lot of fun. but if you’re noticing that you sneeze and cough a lot more in the bird room, this could be an indication of allergies. here are 5 ways you can minimize the triggers and enjoy your bird more.

Choose Right—Different birds produce different amounts of dander and dust. If you have chosen a bird who is now a member of your family, you surely know a lot more about birds now than you did when you first made your decision.

If you decide to add to the family with another feathered friend, remember that powder down birds such as African Grey, Cockatoos, Cockatiels, and Amazons, while absolutely gorgeous, produce a fine, powdery, wing dust in addition to dander. Allergies can be greatly aggravated by the additional particulates that these birds will produce. Choosing one that creates fewer particulates will limit potential airborne triggers

Set A Limit—Bird owners tend to have big hearts. It’s often easy to get talked into adopting another bird. and while this often saves them from abuse, neglect, and worse, it does not always make for healthy living conditions unless great care is taken.

Housing numerous birds in a space that is really too small is not a good choice for anyone, as quality of life is important too. know when to say no to another bird based on the space and care you can provide. Instead, research a list of healthy options for those that you cannot support.

Select Bird-Friendly Furnishings—The furniture you choose for your bird’s room can really make a difference in how much time you spend there and how much you enjoy it. Choose surfaces that are easily clean. for furniture that means slip covers that can be washed, leather that can be damp wiped or other stain proof fabrics.

For flooring choose wood, wood-like products, or tile for easy cleaning with a damp mop or vacuum. These materials make spills and accidents (that will happen) easier to clean, and less of a panic when they do.

Clean Smarter—Cleaning with water trumps dry cleaning. Moisture does a better job of keeping particulates grounded and keeps them from going airborne again. Vacuuming with a HEPA (abbreviation for high efficiency particle arresting) vacuum will filter the air of particles that are.3 microns or greater before it is returned to the air in the room. This insures that you really are reducing the number of particles on the floor and surfaces rather than just blowing them around in your room.

Filter the Air—Doing all of the above will certainly help reduce the allergens in the bird room. and this will help your allergies because it is actually the protein in the dander and dust that trigger allergy symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, watering eyes, and coughing.

Using a HEPA air purifier to filter dander, dust, and other normal household triggers from the air is crucial. Elevated levels of bird dander and dust will clog your bird’s air passages and increase the chances that it will become sick. 24 hour filtration with a HEPA air purifier will keep particle levels low and help you manage your allergies and enjoy a long and happy relationship with your bird.

In typical cases of anorexia, which is the family and friends of the person and not the anorexic who recognize the fact that they are in physical danger with its relentless pursuit of weight loss.

Anorexia is not satisfied with the amount of weight to lose, even when they become dangerously thin or emaciated and in the denial of the physical damage was caused by their disorder. This can be very frustrating, and break the hearts of loved ones who surround them, but anorexia can be treated successfully and recognition of signs and symptoms that you may seek professional help needed to gain control of this disorder.

Recognizing the differences between healthy diet and anorexia

Anorexia often develops when a person begins the process of normal diet to lose weight and get fit. Once you begin to lose weight that triggers the desire to continue to lose more, even after reaching a normal weight or underweight each time. Recognizing the difference between normal diet and anorexia is essential in the capture of this disease in its early stages.

The main difference between a normal diet and anorexia is the reasoning behind the desire to lose weight. normal diet is based on people’s desire to improve their overall health and appearance.

In the anorexic desire to lose weight is usually based on the feeling that you can achieve happiness by losing weight. The purpose of the normal diet is to take the weight in a healthy manner, while anorexics they will do whatever it takes to lose weight and ignore health concerns.

Notable Signs and symptoms

Anorexics tend to lose weight quickly, and even become known weight are going to deny that to lose weight. even after having underweight often times making statements that are “fat” or point out specific areas of your body they believe is “too fat.” They also have an obsession frequently check your weight and become extremely distressed with any weight gain.

Also obsessed with food by examining labels the amount of calories and grams of fat, and weigh and measure everything you eat. Become obsessed with their body image often see in a mirror and express dissatisfaction with their weight or body image in general.

Anorexia is a disorder that requires medical treatment because they do not go away by itself, and the best chance of successful treatment of this disorder is detected in its early stages. if you recognize any of these symptoms in a loved one or friend, you must try to get professional help immediately.