A study published Jan. 9 in the online journal of Circulation reports a person’s risk of suffering a heart attack is significantly increased in the first 24 hours after losing a loved one. It is believed the sadness, grief and bereavement feelings from the loss attributes to a ‘broken heart.’ It is suggested to be aware of the effects from mourning in yourself and others to stave off possible myocardial infarctions.
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center interviewed 2,000 patients who suffered a heart attack within a five year period to find potential triggering factors. They found the risk of a heart attack increased 21 times the first day after the death of a loved one. The risk declines afterwards but remains elevated for at least a month. (continued below)
Heart attack risk rises after loss of loved one
The lead author of the study, Elizabeth Mostofsky, MPH, ScD, identifies grief and bereavement with higher levels of depression, anxiety and anger. Mostofsky suggests this event can lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, which subsequently may trigger a heart attack.
"Some people would say a 'broken heart' related to the grief response is what leads to these physiologic changes," says senior author Murray Mittleman, MD, DrPH, a physician in the Cardiovascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of BIDMC's cardiovascular epidemiological research program. "So that emotional sense of the broken heart may actually lead to damage leading to a heart attack and a physical broken heart of a sort."
"Physicians, patients and families should to be aware of this risk and make sure that someone experiencing grief is getting their physical and medical needs met," says Mittleman. EurekAlert!
Both Mostofsky and Mittleman state that all individuals need to be aware of the ‘broken heart’ symptoms of grief and bereavement to alleviate the risk of heart attacks in the survivors.
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