After a devastating loss or a breakup with a long-term partner, you may feel a tightness in your chest—almost like your emotions are actually causing you physical pain. You’ll usually feel better in time (ice cream may help), but for some, having a broken heart can actually be a critical medical matter.

The American Heart Association’s 2025 report highlights that there were over 940,000 deaths related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 2022. While coronary heart disease and heart attack are common heart-related causes of death, according to health experts, they’re far from the only potentially fatal conditions.

A recent study, published this month in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggests men are more likely than women to die from Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, which is also known as broken heart syndrome.

The Cleveland Clinic explains that Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a temporary condition “where some of your heart muscle weakens rapidly.” It often occurs after an unexpected stressor—either physical or emotional—and affects around 2% of patients who seek medical attention for a suspected heart attack.

To learn more about the condition, researchers associated with the University of Arizona’s Sarver Heart Center and Medical College conducted one of the “largest [studies] to assess in-hospital death rates and complications of the condition, as well as differences by sex, age and race over five years,” according to a press release from the American Heart Association.

The research team reviewed health records in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for 199,890 American adults who were diagnosed with broken heart syndrome between the years 2016 and 2020. Among their findings, researchers discovered that there was a 6.5% death rate.

Despite women more commonly experiencing broken heart syndrome (83% of those studied), the study found men were twice as likely to die from it. Researchers found that 11.2% of men who were diagnosed died, while death occurred in 5.5% of women.

They also learned of common complications that the patients experienced:

  • Congestive heart failure (35.9%)
  • Atrial fibrillation (20.7%)
  • Cardiogenic shock (6.6%)
  • Stroke (5.3%)
  • Cardiac arrest (3.4%)

Said researcher M. Reza Movahed, MD, PhD, an interventional cardiologist: “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. The continued high death rate is alarming, suggesting that more research be done for better treatment and finding new therapeutic approaches to this condition.”

Additionally, the research found that people over 61 years old experienced “the highest incidence rates of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.” Even so, the study indicates that there was a 2.6 to 3.25 times higher incidence in adults between 46 and 60 years old when compared to those between the ages of 31 and 45.

Dr. Movahed suggested further research could be done into both the management of patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and why there are different death rates for men and women with this condition.

For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy by Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:

Author
Emily Surpless
Emily has over a decade of experience producing digital content, working on sites focused on health, lifestyle, home, and entertainment. As the editor for The Healthy by Reader’s Digest, she focuses on pitching and optimizing content to satisfy reader curiosity and reach new users. Prior to her role at The Healthy, Emily was the Sr. SEO Manager ...
Read More
Emily Surpless