Broken heart syndrome is real: US hospitals admitted about 40,000 patients a year with it from 2016 to 2020, and about 1 in 15 died there (our arithmetic).
Doctors also call it Takotsubo syndrome, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress induced cardiomyopathy, and it was first described in Japan in 1991. Cleveland Clinic describes it as a sudden weakness in the heart muscle that happens right after a physically or emotionally stressful event; it can last a few days or weeks, and with medicine most people recover completely, though some have serious complications.
What happens to the heart
In the typical form, the base of the left ventricle keeps pumping while the middle and tip of the chamber stop moving, so on imaging the ventricle resembles a traditional Japanese octopus trap, a takotsubo, which gave the condition its name.
The symptoms are like those of a heart attack. Cleveland Clinic lists sudden, severe chest pain, shortness of breath and fainting as the main symptoms. The difference is in the arteries: with broken heart syndrome, the coronary arteries are not blocked, and patients typically do not have lasting heart damage.
What triggers it
Physical or emotional stress releases stress hormones, and Cleveland Clinic says experts think these hormones stun or injure the heart muscle. Its examples of triggers include a divorce, a car accident, job loss, grief from the death of a loved one or another large loss, and even good news such as a surprise party or a lottery win. A small percentage of patients cannot name any stressor at all.
Cleveland Clinic lists being female, being older than 50, and a history of a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety or depression, or a neurologic disorder such as seizures or stroke, as risk factors.
How often it happens in the US
The largest recent count comes from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a US hospital inpatient database. From 2016 to 2020 it recorded 199,890 adult patients with Takotsubo, and 83% of them were female. Because the database covers inpatients only, it does not show deaths after patients leave the hospital. The yearly count rose overall from 39,015 in 2016 to 41,290 in 2020.
| Measure (US hospital patients, adults, 2016 to 2020) | Value | Odds (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| Patients hospitalized with Takotsubo, 5 years | 199,890 | about 39,978 a year |
| Patients who were female | 83% | about 5 in 6 |
| Died in the hospital, all patients | 6.5% | 1 in 15.38 |
| Died in the hospital, men | 11.2% | 1 in 8.93 |
| Died in the hospital, women | 5.5% | 1 in 18.18 |
The newest national count we found is a 2026 study of the same database for 2016 to 2022, which found 289,545 weighted Takotsubo hospitalizations, about 41,364 a year (our arithmetic). It uses its own selection of patients, so its total is not directly comparable with the 2016 to 2020 figure (our inference).
Diagnoses have been rising for longer. A 2021 study counted 135,463 documented cases in US hospitals from 2006 to 2017; the yearly incidence increased steadily in both sexes, and women contributed 88.3% of cases. The group at highest risk in that study was women aged 50 to 74.
How serious is it?
Most people recover, but being hospitalized with broken heart syndrome carries real risk. In the 2016 to 2020 data, 93.5% of patients left the hospital alive (our arithmetic), and serious complications were common.
| Complication during the hospital stay (US, 2016 to 2020) | Share of patients | Odds (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestive heart failure | 35.9% | 1 in 2.79 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 20.7% | 1 in 4.83 |
| Cardiogenic shock | 6.6% | 1 in 15.15 |
| Stroke | 5.3% | 1 in 18.87 |
| Cardiac arrest | 3.4% | 1 in 29.41 |
Although women make up most cases, men who were hospitalized died at about twice the rate: 11.2% against 5.5%, or about 1 in 9 against 1 in 18 (our arithmetic). The study found no significant improvement in mortality over the five years; the yearly death rate went from 5.63% in 2016 to 8.38% in 2020.
When to get help
Because broken heart syndrome shares symptoms with a heart attack, Cleveland Clinic advises calling 911 or emergency services for heart attack symptoms, including chest pain, trouble breathing, unexpected fainting, heart palpitations, or an unusually slow or fast heartbeat. Only tests can tell broken heart syndrome apart from a heart attack or another medical problem.
For people coping with heavy stress, Cleveland Clinic suggests that a support group or a professional counselor can help.
The short version
Broken heart syndrome, or Takotsubo syndrome, is a sudden weakening of the heart muscle after physical or emotional stress, first described in Japan in 1991. US hospitals admitted about 40,000 patients a year with it from 2016 to 2020; 83% of patients were female, and about 1 in 15 patients died in the hospital, about 1 in 9 among men (our arithmetic). Chest pain, trouble breathing or fainting means calling 911.
Last checked: October 29, 2026, against the Nationwide Inpatient Sample analyses by Movahed and colleagues (2016 to 2020), Olumuyide and Rahman (2016 to 2022) and Pattisapu and colleagues (2006 to 2017), the British Journal of Cardiology review of Takotsubo syndrome, and Cleveland Clinic’s broken heart syndrome page. This article was machine-checked against the sources above and has not been expert-reviewed. Spotted an error or a newer public figure? Please tell us on our contact page with the article link and we will review it.
Sources
- S1 Movahed MR, Javanmardi E, Hashemzadeh M. High Mortality and Complications in Patients Admitted With Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy With More Than Double Mortality in Men Without Improvement in Outcome Over the Years. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.124.037219 Accessed Oct 29, 2026.
- S2 Olumuyide E, Rahman E. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in In-Hospital Outcomes of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in the United States. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-026-02936-w Accessed Oct 29, 2026.
- S3 Pattisapu VK, Hao H, Liu Y, Nguyen TT, Hoang A, Bairey Merz CN, Cheng S. Sex- and Age-Based Temporal Trends in Takotsubo Syndrome Incidence in the United States. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.120.019583 Accessed Oct 29, 2026.
- S4 Díaz-Navarro R. Takotsubo syndrome: the broken-heart syndrome. British Journal of Cardiology, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8822514/ Accessed Oct 29, 2026.
- S5 Cleveland Clinic. Broken Heart Syndrome (last updated April 16, 2026). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17857-broken-heart-syndrome Accessed Oct 29, 2026.