当一个人感到伤心时，通常会说“我的心都碎了”。



虽然这只是一种比喻，人的心脏并不会因为悲伤的情绪碎裂成片，但是却可能出现“心碎综合征”。



心碎综合征也叫takotsubo心肌病，最开始于1990年在日本被发现，可以导致快速逆向心肌无力。 6park.com
Broken heart syndrome is a condition that can cause rapid and reversive heart muscle weakness, also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. It was first identified in 1990 in Japan. 6park.com
“takotsubo”一词来自于日本一种捕章鱼的罐子，瓶颈窄，底座宽，有心碎综合征的人左心室会肿胀起来，看起来和这种罐子的形状一样。 6park.com
It is named for an octopus trap used for centuries in Japan, with a narrow neck and a relatively wide base that makes it easy for octopuses to enter but not leave. 6park.com
Patients with the disease have an unusual swelling in the heart's left ventricle, giving the heart a similar appearance to the trap.



什么会导致“心碎”

情绪或身体上的压力经常导致心碎综合征。但是，虽然大多数患有此综合征的人会承受某种压力，高达30%的患者在初始阶段没有可识别的触发因素。 6park.com
Two kinds of stress — emotional or physical — often cause broken heart syndrome. But while most people with this condition experience a stressful event, up to 30 percent of patients have no identifiable trigger at the time of their initial symptoms. 6park.com
情绪上的压力包括悲痛（grief），恐惧（fear），暴怒（extremely anger）以及惊喜（surprise）。PS：你以为的惊喜对别人来说可能是惊吓！



身体上的压力来自于发高烧（high fever），中风（stroke），癫痫发作（seizure），呼吸困难（difficulty in breathing），严重出血（significant bleeding）以及低血糖（low blood sugar）。 6park.com
心碎综合征的症状和心脏病的症状很相似，比如胸痛、呼吸困难、晕眩等。这些症状可能在情绪或身体压力事件发生后几分钟或几小时内。

什么人容易“心碎”

据估算，英国每年有2500人患上心碎综合征，这种综合征还可能引发与心脏病并发症类似的病症。 6park.com
Affecting an estimated 2,500 people in the UK each year, the syndrome also carries a risk of complications similar to that of an actual heart attack.



有人可能觉得自己每天压力都很大，是不是有可能已经得了心碎综合征却不自知？其实不然，这种综合征来得快去得也快，如果你的症状是长期的，“心碎”的几率还是很小的。 6park.com
Broken heart syndrome appears to be a condition that comes on suddenly and resolves quickly. If you are a person who frequently has symptoms of chest pain or shortness of breath when under significant stress, you should be evaluated by your doctor. If your symptoms are chronic, it is unlikely that you have broken heart syndrome. 6park.com
一项新的研究表明，中年和老年女性被诊断患有心碎综合征的频率比年轻女性或任何年龄的男性要高10倍。 6park.com
Middle-aged and older women are being diagnosed with broken heart syndrome more frequently – up to 10 times more often – than younger women or men of any age, a new study suggests.



The research also suggests that the rare condition has become more common, and the incidence has been rising steadily since well before the COVID-19 pandemic. 6park.com
研究还表明，这种罕见的疾病已经变得更普遍了，而且新冠疫情大暴发之前，发病率一直在稳步上升。



心碎综合征可能危及生命。在某些情况下，它可能导致严重的心肌无力从而导致充血性心力衰竭、低血压、休克等。 6park.com
好消息是如果患者接受良好的治疗，症状会很快好转。 6park.com
The good news is that this condition can improve very quickly if patients are under the care of doctors familiar with the syndrome.  6park.com
所以倒也不必过于担心“心碎”，如果发现有长期的类似症状及时就医就好，重要的还是保持愉快轻松的心情。