Although broken heart syndrome is most common in women, men die from it at more than twice the rate, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study analyzed data from nearly 200,000 adults in the U.S. who were hospitalized with broken heart syndrome from 2016 to 2020. Around 11% of men in that group died, compared with roughly 5% of women. The data reinforce previous studies that showed higher mortality rates in men. “It seems to be a consistent finding that men don’t get takotsubo syndrome as much, but when they do, they do worse,” said Dr. Harmony Reynolds, director of the Sarah Ross Soter Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Research at NYU Langone Health, who wasn’t involved in the study.

Researchers have found that a severe form of physical or emotional stress that causes a condition colloquially known as “broken heart syndrome” results in more deaths among men than in women, according to a new study from the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study released on Wednesday stated that the condition, scientifically referred to as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, caused double the number of deaths in men than in women, at 11.2% versus 5.5%. “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a reversible left ventricle dysfunction and is triggered by emotional stress, predominantly in women, or physical stress, predominantly in men,” the study read. “This condition is known to be associated with sex and race disparities and can lead to significant in‐hospital mortality and morbidity.“

Men had more than double the rate of deaths from broken heart syndrome, at 11% compared to just over 5% in women, researchers found. “We were surprised to find that the death rate from Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was relatively high without significant changes over the five-year study, and the rate of in-hospital complications also was elevated,” lead researcher Dr. Mohammad Reza Movahed, an interventional cardiologist and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona’s Sarver Heart Center in Tucson, said in a news release. “The continued high death rate is alarming, suggesting that more research be done for better treatment and finding new therapeutic approaches to this condition,” he added.

A new study finds men have twice the death rate from ‘broken heart syndrome’ compared to women. Researchers warn of the serious risks and call for better treatment options.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that 11.2% of men die from "broken heart syndrome" compared to 5.5% of women. The condition occurs when the pumping function of a person's heart weakens due to emotional or physical stress. Symptoms include chest pain and shortness of breath.