Part 1. Vocabulary
|
severe |
/səˈvir/ adj - (of
something bad or undesirable) very great; intense She had a
severe skin allergy. |
|
inarguable |
/ˌinˈärɡyo͞oəbəl/
adj - not open to
disagreement The video is inarguable proof that he is the suspect of the crime. |
|
susceptibility |
/səˌseptəˈbilədē/
n - state of
being likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing Lack of
exercise increases susceptibility to diseases. |
|
exaggerated |
/iɡˈzajəreədəd/
adj - regarded or
represented as larger, better, or worse than in reality She
exaggerated her account of her adventures in the forest. |
|
comprehensive |
/ˌkämprəˈhensiv/
adj - complete;
including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something She gave a
comprehensive list of all the materials for the campaign. |
1.
What is another name for broken heart syndrome?
2.
Describe what happens when you have broken
heart syndrome.
3.
When is broken heart syndrome experienced?
4.
What ages experienced the highest rate of broken
heart syndrome?
5.
What is the result of severely broken heart
syndrome?
A peer-reviewed study published
by the Journal of the American Heart Association found that broken heart
syndrome is on the rise in the U.S. It is also one of the only studies to show
a clear connection on how the heart and the brain react together when things
like anxiety or stress are present.
Takotsubo syndrome, also known as
broken heart syndrome, can mirror a heart attack, causing chest pains and
shortness of breath after the heart muscles weaken. It generally happens
following a severe emotional or physical event, like a breakup, car accident or
even a surprise birthday party, according to Dr. Susan Cheng, who led the
study.
The study revealed that both men
and women have experienced broken heart syndrome at rising rates during recent
years, with women aged 50 to 74 seeing the highest increase. Out of the 135,463
cases of broken heart syndrome reported in the U.S. from 2006 to 2017, 88.3% of
cases were in older women
“There’s no other disease
condition where it’s so clear and inarguable,” Cheng told USA TODAY.
“Many of us have focused at least some of our energy trying to understand
what’s going on around this particular syndrome, like how to recognize the
diagnosis and make the diagnosis.”
Men and women have different
biology and susceptibility to diseases,”
Cheng added. “Those differences get exaggerated over time and in this
study, it seems to be applicable here also.”
While rare, severe cases of
broken heart syndrome can lead to death, and Cheng says people have been in
cardiac intensive care “for days, or weeks even, trying to recover from this.”
She added that the response of stress triggers the syndrome and “we’re shocked
to the core, it’s a shock to the system.”
Cheng says broken heart syndrome
is not yet well understood. The most organized and comprehensive
data available is on the National Inpatient Sample database.
While the data is exclusively
pre-pandemic data, Cheng says there is data after 2017. However, it takes a
couple of years to collect it all, get it organized and ready to analyze. She
anticipates there will be a lower rate of diagnosis because most people during
the pandemic are doing “everything they can to avoid having to go to the
hospital.”
Source: Keira Wingate, Oct. 20,
2021, https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/