By . Anna Hodgekiss . It has long been said it's possible to die from a broken heart - and now scientists say the phenomenon can also be triggered by the shock of natural disasters. They have discovered the stress of hurricanes and earthquakes can trigger a condition known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Also known as broken heart syndrome, this is where the heart muscle becomes temporarily enlarged and weakened. Scientists have discovered that natural disasters such as tornadoes (the aftermath of the one that hit Joplin, Missouri, is pictured) can trigger a condition called broken heart syndrome . Researchers found that disaster areas such as Joplin - where this tornado struck in 2011 - had higher rates of the potentially fatal condition that year . It is often triggered . by extreme physical or emotional stress – for example, being in a car . accident or losing a child or spouse, say the U.S. researchers. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy got its name because the abnormal shape of . the heart resembles a Japanese octopus fishing pot (tako=octopus, . tsubo=pot). Previous research has linked broken heart syndrome to natural disasters, including . the 2004 earthquake in Japan. Now, scientists at the University of Arkansas have studied catastrophies in the U.S. They found dramatic spikes in cases of broken heart syndrome in two states after major natural disasters, suggesting the stress of disasters as a likely trigger. They identified 21,748 patients diagnosed with cases of broken heart syndrome in 2011 using a nationwide hospital discharge database. After mapping the cases by state, Vermont and Missouri emerged as having the highest rate of cases, with 380 cases per million residents in Vermont and 169 per million in Missouri. A distraught woman in Banda Aceh after the Asian tsunami in 2004. Researches say broken heart syndrome is triggered by stress and causes the heart muscle becomes temporarily enlarged and weakened . Most states had fewer than 150 cases per million residents. New Hampshire and Hawaii had the lowest rate of the disease that year. The rate of broken heart cases in Vermont in 2011 was more than double most other states. This was the same year that Tropical Storm Irene pummeled the state with heavy rain and wind, causing the most devastation Vermont has experienced since the Great Flood of 1927. Similarly, researchers found broken heart syndrome at a rate of 169 cases per million in Missouri in 2011, the same year a massive tornado ripped through the state's town of Joplin, demolishing neighborhoods and killing at least 158 people. 'Despite the seemingly increasing number of natural disasters we have, there is limited data about how it might affect the heart,' said Dr Sadip Pant, lead investigator of the study. Vermont, which fell victim to Hurricane Irene in the same year, also had one of the highest rates of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Image shows flood damage in Quechee, near White River Junction . 'Our findings suggest two disasters, one in Vermont and one in Missouri, might have been possible triggers for the clustering of takotsubo cardiomyopathy cases in these regions.' Patients with broken heart syndrome often complain of chest pain and shortness of breath, symptoms that mimic those of a heart attack, which can delay diagnosis. While broken heart syndrome typically resolves within a month or two, in the acute scenario it can result in serious complications such as heart failure, life-threatening arrhythmias and stroke. Previous studies by the same group found that as many as one in four patients with broken heart syndrome have some form of arrhythmia and one to seven per cent suffer cardiac arrest. Many patients are diagnosed once doctors see there are no blockages in the artery, or imaging reveals changes in the shape of the heart that are characteristic of broken heart syndrome. Because natural disasters occur . more frequently in some parts of the country, residents in these regions . may have adapted to and experienced less stress during such . occurrences. A woman caught up in the 2003  Xinjiang earthquake, which destroyed the Chinese town. While broken heart syndrome typically resolves within a month or two, in the acute scenario it can result in serious complications such as heart failure, life-threatening arrhythmias and stroke . However in places such as Vermont, where natural disasters are . relatively rare, people may be more susceptible to extreme stress when a . disaster hits particularly hard. 'By and large, it is a very reversible form of cardiomyopathy, but in the acute phase, these patients need to be monitored closely to be sure they are stable and to prevent and manage problems,' added Dr Pant. 'It's also something that emergency doctors and medical personnel need to be aware of as they are often on the frontlines seeing patients after disaster strikes. The authors add that different people's threshold for stress may also affect rates of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Gravestones tumbled over at cemetry at Jiganji temple in Ojiya, northern Japan after strong earthquakes in 2004. Rates of broken heart syndrome rose there shortly afterwards . Episodes are thought to be driven by the sympathetic response and surges of adrenaline in the body, similar to the well-known fight-or-flight reaction. This leads to depressed function of the apex and middle segment of the heart and increased contractility of the base producing a balloon-like appearance. 'It's a perfect example of our brain-heart connection,' said Dr Pant. 'The emotional stress we have in our brain can lead to responses in the heart, and not much is known about this condition.' The research was presented at the American . College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.
Stress of natural disasters triggers takotsubo cardiomyopathy .
Also known as broken heart syndrome, causes heart muscle to enlarge .
U.S. researchers found dramatic spikes in cases of broken heart syndrome in two states after major natural disasters in 2011 - Vermont and Missouri .
By . Anna Hodgekiss . It has long been said it's possible to die from a broken heart - and now scientists say the phenomenon can also be triggered by the shock of natural disasters. They have discovered the stress of hurricanes and earthquakes can trigger a condition known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Also known as broken heart syndrome, this is where the heart muscle becomes temporarily enlarged and weakened. Scientists have discovered that natural disasters such as tornadoes (the aftermath of the one that hit Joplin, Missouri, is pictured) can trigger a condition called broken heart syndrome . Researchers found that disaster areas such as Joplin - where this tornado struck in 2011 - had higher rates of the potentially fatal condition that year . It is often triggered . by extreme physical or emotional stress – for example, being in a car . accident or losing a child or spouse, say the U.S. researchers. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy got its name because the abnormal shape of . the heart resembles a Japanese octopus fishing pot (tako=octopus, . tsubo=pot). Previous research has linked broken heart syndrome to natural disasters, including . the 2004 earthquake in Japan. Now, scientists at the University of Arkansas have studied catastrophies in the U.S. They found dramatic spikes in cases of broken heart syndrome in two states after major natural disasters, suggesting the stress of disasters as a likely trigger. They identified 21,748 patients diagnosed with cases of broken heart syndrome in 2011 using a nationwide hospital discharge database. After mapping the cases by state, Vermont and Missouri emerged as having the highest rate of cases, with 380 cases per million residents in Vermont and 169 per million in Missouri. A distraught woman in Banda Aceh after the Asian tsunami in 2004. Researches say broken heart syndrome is triggered by stress and causes the heart muscle becomes temporarily enlarged and weakened . Most states had fewer than 150 cases per million residents. New Hampshire and Hawaii had the lowest rate of the disease that year. The rate of broken heart cases in Vermont in 2011 was more than double most other states. This was the same year that Tropical Storm Irene pummeled the state with heavy rain and wind, causing the most devastation Vermont has experienced since the Great Flood of 1927. Similarly, researchers found broken heart syndrome at a rate of 169 cases per million in Missouri in 2011, the same year a massive tornado ripped through the state's town of Joplin, demolishing neighborhoods and killing at least 158 people. 'Despite the seemingly increasing number of natural disasters we have, there is limited data about how it might affect the heart,' said Dr Sadip Pant, lead investigator of the study. Vermont, which fell victim to Hurricane Irene in the same year, also had one of the highest rates of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Image shows flood damage in Quechee, near White River Junction . 'Our findings suggest two disasters, one in Vermont and one in Missouri, might have been possible triggers for the clustering of takotsubo cardiomyopathy cases in these regions.' Patients with broken heart syndrome often complain of chest pain and shortness of breath, symptoms that mimic those of a heart attack, which can delay diagnosis. While broken heart syndrome typically resolves within a month or two, in the acute scenario it can result in serious complications such as heart failure, life-threatening arrhythmias and stroke. Previous studies by the same group found that as many as one in four patients with broken heart syndrome have some form of arrhythmia and one to seven per cent suffer cardiac arrest. Many patients are diagnosed once doctors see there are no blockages in the artery, or imaging reveals changes in the shape of the heart that are characteristic of broken heart syndrome. Because natural disasters occur . more frequently in some parts of the country, residents in these regions . may have adapted to and experienced less stress during such . occurrences. A woman caught up in the 2003 Xinjiang earthquake, which destroyed the Chinese town. While broken heart syndrome typically resolves within a month or two, in the acute scenario it can result in serious complications such as heart failure, life-threatening arrhythmias and stroke . However in places such as Vermont, where natural disasters are . relatively rare, people may be more susceptible to extreme stress when a . disaster hits particularly hard. 'By and large, it is a very reversible form of cardiomyopathy, but in the acute phase, these patients need to be monitored closely to be sure they are stable and to prevent and manage problems,' added Dr Pant. 'It's also something that emergency doctors and medical personnel need to be aware of as they are often on the frontlines seeing patients after disaster strikes. The authors add that different people's threshold for stress may also affect rates of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Gravestones tumbled over at cemetry at Jiganji temple in Ojiya, northern Japan after strong earthquakes in 2004. Rates of broken heart syndrome rose there shortly afterwards . Episodes are thought to be driven by the sympathetic response and surges of adrenaline in the body, similar to the well-known fight-or-flight reaction. This leads to depressed function of the apex and middle segment of the heart and increased contractility of the base producing a balloon-like appearance. 'It's a perfect example of our brain-heart connection,' said Dr Pant. 'The emotional stress we have in our brain can lead to responses in the heart, and not much is known about this condition.' The research was presented at the American . College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.
takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Also known as broken in the U.S. They found dramatic spikes in cases of broken heart syndrome in two states after major natural disasters, suggesting the stress of disasters, one in Vermont and one in Missouri,