Dear Dr. Garner,
I am so upset. My dog Scottie, who was like a member of the family, died yesterday. I am literally heartbroken. I cannot cope with it, and am beginning to feel chest pain and even become short of breath.  I am a 60-year-old woman in good shape, but this has thrown me for a loop.
My husband said he once read something about a real medical illness called “broken-heart syndrome.”
If there is such a thing, I think I have it. Have you ever heard of this condition?
I thank you so much for your columns and the TV show.
Broken Hearted in Bayside

Dear Broken Hearted,
I am very sorry for your loss. I realize that pets become a part of the family and that their death can be as hard to cope with as human death.
You have raised an interesting question.  There have been a lot of studies done at Johns Hopkins University regarding this condition.  While some cardiologists are skeptical, based upon the research I believe that it is a very real condition.
When there is a traumatic event in someone’s life, such as loss of a spouse, great monetary loss, being mugged or robbed, or just being very surprised (such as a surprise birthday party), the body produces a lot of chemicals, such as adrenaline.
When the heart is subjected to these chemicals, it can actually be shocked so much that it begins to fail.
The person experiencing this can exhibit the same symptoms as heart failure or a heart attack.
In addition, the heart changes shape, as one part becomes very weak, and can be distorted by the pumping of the normal part.
The symptoms can be the same as a heart attack, which makes it very important to get to the emergency room as soon as possible to help figure out what is going on.
The good news is that if it is not a heart attack, but turns out to be “broken heart syndrome,” then the person will recover in a few days, and be completely normal and never experience the condition again.
For some reason, the condition seems to strike females almost exclusively. No one is quite sure why this happens.
In a heart attack, a part of the muscle of the heart dies because the blood vessels of the heart become clogged.
In “broken heart syndrome,” the heart does not die, and the blood vessels do not become clogged.  The heart attack complications can last a lifetime, whereas the changes that occur in “broken heart” last about a week.
Is there any way to figure out who is at risk for “broken heart syndrome”?
This question has not been answered.  As I said before, it affects women almost exclusively. Being a nervous person does not seem to predispose to the situation.
The average age that it occurs is in the early 60s.
The symptoms to watch out for include:
1.  Chest pain
2.  Shortness of breath
3.  An irregular heartbeat
4.  Generalized weakness
The term “broken hearted” is used very frequently, but when an event generates such an enormous shock to the body, it produces chemicals that literally breaks the heart temporarily.
I do hope you have family and religious support to help deal with your situation.
Without examining you, I cannot determine if you have the syndrome, but I urge you to call your doctor as soon as possible to understand what is going on.
Thank you and please keep me posted as to how the situation resolves.
I would also be interested in hearing from other Tablet readers, regarding similar situations they may have had.
Have a great week and be well.[hr]
Dr. Steven Garner is a Fidelis Care provider who is affiliated with New York Methodist Hospital, Park Slope. He also hosts “Ask the Doctor” on The NET, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Channel 97 Time Warner and Channel 30 Cablevision.