It is the little understood condition that proves you can actually die from a broken heart.
Experienced by some in response to emotionally traumatic events, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or “Broken Heart Syndrome”, occurs when one of the heart’s chambers, the left ventricle, suddenly expands and weakens.
The change means the organ cannot pump blood around the body properly, increasing the risk of heart failure.
Around 5,000 people across the UK –most of them women – are affected every year.
Although the majority of sufferers recover, the condition causes at least seven per cent of all heart attacks. In rare cases, it leads to death.
Now, scientists at Aberdeen University hope to recruit almost 100 Scots for a trial of the first ever treatment.
Researchers will offer a programme of exercise and psychological therapies for those affected, with the work – described as a “huge step towards developing a standardised treatment” – taking place thanks to a grant of £300,000 from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
The university has already led the way on research into the condition, which was only recognised towards the end of the last century.
Its new trial aims to recruit 90 people from across Scotland, with participants signed up within three weeks of suffering an episode.
They will then be given either a personalised exercise conditioning programme, a regime of cognitive behavioural therapy, or will be part of the control group.
The research is set to last for the next three years.
Dr David Gamble, from Aberdeen University, said: “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken heart syndrome, remains a comparatively poorly understood condition.
“It is vital that we develop a high-quality evidence base to guide clinicians in the management of this condition.
“In many clinical intervention trials, we are attempting to make incremental improvements to existing treatments, but as broken heart syndrome is at such an early stage there is no established treatment to use as a base.”
The first medically described cases of the condition were reported in the 1990s, mostly in Japan.
They involved people being taken to hospital following the death of loved ones and with seemingly dramatic changes in their hearts. Experts stress that additional research into Takotsubo’s causes and effects will be particularly significant given that women are more likely to suffer it.
Professor Dana Dawson, also from Aberdeen University, said: “We already know that cardiovascular disease affects men and women in different ways, so there is no reason why a one-size-fits-all treatment should work for broken heart syndrome.
“After so long spent researching this condition, it is great to be taking this huge step towards developing a standardised treatment for it and we look forward to seeing the results in due course.”
BHF bosses have welcomed confirmation that the Aberdeen trial is to go ahead and said it would make an important contribution to the development of new treatments.
Professor James Leiper, associate medical director, said: “Takotsubo syndrome is a sudden and potentially catastrophic heart condition which has only been recognised in recent years.
“As such, these trials to find the first ever treatment for the condition are a huge step forward and will play a significant role in increasing our understanding of this neglected area of cardiology.”
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