'Broken Heart Syndrome' Doubles Risk of Hospitalization

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 25, 2025.

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 25, 2025 -- The final days of acclaimed actor Gene Hackman are heart-rending -- a man with Alzheimer’s disease wandering his home for nearly a week after the untimely death of his wife, before collapsing himself.

Experts have speculated that Hackman, 95, might have died from takotsubo syndrome -- more commonly known as “broken heart syndrome” -- after finding his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, dead from a hantavirus infection.

A new study shows that takotsubo syndrome can nearly double a person’s risk of landing in the hospital with a potentially fatal illness, according to a report published March 24 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Patients with takotsubo syndrome are particularly susceptible to hospitalization from cardiac, mental health, pulmonary, stroke, neurologic, and infective conditions,” concluded the research team led by senior investigator Dana Dawson, chair of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Aberdeen in the U.K.

In takotsubo syndrome, the heart’s main pumping chamber becomes markedly weaker after a person suffers severe emotional or physical stress.

The syndrome presents like a heart attack, even though the patient may have no heart disease at all, researchers said.

Arakawa is thought to have died from her infection on Feb. 12. On that day, she made a morning call to concierge medical service Cloudberry Health, but failed to make it to an appointment scheduled that afternoon, according to ABC News.

Hackman likely died around Feb. 18. That’s the date on which his pacemaker showed the last record of heart activity.

The couple’s bodies were discovered in their Santa Fe, N.M., home on Feb. 26 during a welfare check. Hackman was found in the house’s mud room, while Arakawa was on the floor in a bathroom with a space heater near her body.

Hackman died from heart disease, with Alzheimer’s as a significant contributory factor, medical examiners said.

Researchers think takotsubo syndrome might have played a role in Hackman’s death. It's thought he didn’t report Arakawa's demise to officials due to his advanced Alzheimer’s.

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from the Scottish Takotsubo Registry, which began recording all cases of the syndrome diagnosed in Scotland starting in 2010.

The team specifically analyzed takotsubo cases that occurred between 2010 and 2017, and tracked the patients through May 2021.

Nearly 12,900 hospitalizations occurred among people diagnosed with takotsubo syndrome, the study says.

The hospital readmission rate was 743 per 1,000 person-years compared with 365 per 1,000 for the general Scottish population, results show. Person-years take into account both the number of people in a study as well as the amount of time each person spends in the study.

That tallies up to a 96% increased risk of hospitalization for takotsubo patients compared to the general public, researchers said.

Hospitalizations among people with takotsubo syndrome were comparable to those for heart attack patients, who had a rate of 750 per 1,000 person-years, researchers noted.

Takotsubo patients were particularly at risk for heart problems like heart attack, heart failure or heart rhythm problems, results show.

They also were more likely to be hospitalized for mental health, stroke, GI disorders and infections, researchers said.

“This highlights these patients’ increased vulnerability and a need for better discharge advice, clinical follow-up, and a focused search for therapeutic strategies directed to the specific pathophysiology of this condition,” researchers concluded.

Further studies are required to understand why takotsubo syndrome occurs, as well as how it has such a devastating effect on health, researchers said.

Sources

  • American College of Physicians, news release, March 24, 2025
  • Annals of Internal Medicine, March 24, 2025

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-03-26 00:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords