ABC News Broken Heart Cases Surge During COVID Especially Among Women Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 24 February 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC News Broken Heart Cases Surge During COVID Especially Among Women Skyrocketing rates of "broken heart syndrome" among older women are concerning, say Cedars-Sinai experts. Photo by Getty Images. ABC News and CBS News recently interviewed Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center in the Smidt Heart Institute and the Irwin and Sheila Allen Chair in Women's Heart Research at Cedars-Sinai, about a surge of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy—also known as "broken heart syndrome"—mainly among women. Cedars-Sinai has been tracking rising cases of broken heart syndrome, a rare form of heart disease that can be triggered by intense emotional or physical stress. Symptoms of the condition, including shortness of breath and chest pain, can appear similar to a heart attack. Bairey Merz, who is also a professor of Cardiology, told ABC News that cases of broken heart syndrome have gone up 10 times faster among middle-aged women and older women than among younger women and men over the last decade. Cedars-Sinai is still gathering data, but Bairey Merz is not convinced that the COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for the recent spike in cases. "I don't know how much we can really blame COVID, or how much of this is that we're just recognizing more of it," Bairey Merz told ABC News. "But heart disease is the leading killer of women and all ages, including teenagers, midlife women and older women. This is just a component of that major killer. So it's really something that needs to be addressed." One of Bairey Merz's patients, Elaine S. Kamil, MD, told CBS News that she was diagnosed with broken heart syndrome after the unexpected loss of her son. Kamil began to experience chest pain and shortness of breath, but the cardiologist she was seeing at the time said she was fine. Kamil later received the correct diagnosis. "The pain was severe. I got lucky. I think it's important to make sure that whoever you're seeing—cardiologists understand Takotsubo [cardiomyopathy] and what the best treatments there are," Kamil told ABC News. Click here for the complete stories from ABC News and CBS News. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release ABC News Broken Heart Cases Surge During COVID Especially Among Women Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home