The condition can also be triggered by a serious physical illness or surgery. People with broken heart syndrome may have sudden chest pain or think they are having a heart attack. Women are more likely than men to experience the sudden, intense chest pain — the reaction to a surge of stress hormones — that can be caused by an emotionally stressful event. It could even happen after a good shock (like winning the lottery.)
Symptoms:
Broken heart syndrome may be misdiagnosed as a heart attack because the symptoms and test results are similar. In fact, tests show dramatic changes in rhythm and blood substances that are typical of a heart attack. But unlike a heart attack, there’s no evidence of blocked heart arteries in broken heart syndrome.
