ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Dying from a broken heart is a very real condition, say local doctors, following news that the husband of one of the teachers who was killed in the Texas elementary school shooting has died of what family members say was a broken heart.
It's officially called stress cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart does not move correctly. It's similar to a heart attack, except it's in the absence of blockages in the coronary arteries.
Dr. Aaron Tang is a cardiologist with the BJC Medical Group, "It presents in a similar way as a heart attack, with chest discomfort or shortness of breath. But, it's induced usually by a large physical trauma or maybe an emotional stress, such as the loss of a family member or something along those lines. Sometimes it occurs with large mass-casualty events."
Dr. Tang says about 1 to 2 % of heart attacks can be attributed to stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome.
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