According to a new study, heart failure patients who are in grief or mourning after the death of a close family member are at an elevated risk of death, especially in the first week after death. Many studies have been undertaken to confirm the link between Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (popularly known as "broken heart syndrome") and extreme emotional stress.

According to the studys author, grief may activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a critical neuroendocrine system that governs stress and emotional reaction. According to scientists, it may also cause a reaction in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and the sympathetic nervous system, which are both important components of the neuroendocrine response in HF. Mr. Hua Chen, the lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, stated, " the association between bereavement and mortality was not only observed in cases of loss due to cardiovascular disease and other natural causes but also in cases of unnatural deaths."

The relationship between bereavement and increased HF mortality risk was detected after the death of a child (10% increased risk), spouse/partner (20% increased risk), grandchild (5% increased risk), or sibling (13%), but not after the death of a parent. The risk of dying from HF after the death of any family member was highest during the first week of bereavement (78% increased risk), especially if the death was of a child (31% increased risk) or spouse/partner (113% increased risk); it was also higher in the case of two losses (35% increased risk) compared to one loss (35% increased risk).

(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/death-of-a-family-member-may-increase-heart-failure-mortality-risk-101657175835655.html  )