“心碎”也是一种病 女性更容易心碎？

Think "broken heart" is just a figure of speech? Think again. A new study shows that severe emotional distress, such as the kind experienced after a breakup or the death of a loved one, can cause what doctors call "broken heart syndrome" - especially in women. Women are seven to nine times more likely to suffer from the condition than men, the study found.

觉得“心碎” 只是一个比喻修辞说法？现在你需要改变这种想法。最新研究显示，严重的情感创伤，如分手或者爱人死亡的这种经历，都可能会造成“心碎综合症”，尤其是对女性来说。该研究显示，女性患上“心碎综合症” 的情况是男性的7到9倍。

People with the syndrome experience heart failure or heart attack-like symptoms. The condition usually resolves within weeks, with no lasting damage - but in rare cases it proves fatal.

心碎综合症患者的症状类似于心力衰竭和心脏病。症状会在几周后消退，不会造成长期的伤害，不过也有极少数心碎终合症造成死亡的病例。

Japanese doctors first recognized the condition around 1990. They nicknamed it "Takotsubo cardiomyopathy" - tako tsubo are octopus traps that resemble the unusual pot-like shape of the stricken heart.

心碎综合症最先是由日本医生在1990年左右发现的，他们给这种症状起了个绰号叫：“章鱼壶心肌症” （应激性心肌病）。人在悲痛欲绝时诱发此病，患者的心脏看起来很像日本人用来捕章鱼的一种口小底宽的蛸壶。

The classic case is "a woman who has just lost her husband," said Dr. Mariell Jessup, a University of Pennsylvania heart specialist who has treated many cases of the syndrome.

宾夕法尼亚大学的心脏专家Mariell Jessup曾经治愈过很多例心碎终合症，他表示经典案例是一个刚刚失去丈夫的女性。

Cyndy Bizon feared the loss of her husband, Joel, when he suffered a massive heart attack in 2005. The Maine woman collapsed at a nurse's station as her husband was wheeled past her into the operating room. After joining him in coronary care, both Bizon and her husband survived.

来自美国缅因州的女性Cyndy Bizon在2005年差点失去了丈夫Joel，他因为突发心脏病而住院。在丈夫被推进手术室的时候，巨大的恐惧让Cyndy昏倒在护士站。 幸运的是，她和丈夫一起在心脏病加护病房治疗了一段时间，后来两个人都活下来了。

Why does broken heart syndrome occur? A big emotional shock - even a good one, like winning the lottery - triggers a rush of adrenaline and other stress hormones that cause the heart's main pumping chamber to balloon suddenly and malfunction. Tests show dramatic changes in rhythm and blood substances typical of a heart attack but none of the artery blockages that typically cause one.

为什么会发生心碎综合症？剧大的情感冲击（喜事儿也不例外，比方说彩票中奖）会诱发肾上腺素和其他的压力荷尔蒙激增，这样就会造成心脏的主心室突然膨胀并无法正常工作。测试发现了心跳频率和血液物质的重大变化，这些都是心脏病的典型症状。不过心碎综合症并没有发现心脏病的另一典型症状动脉阻塞。

A trawl of records of 1,000 hospitals revealed 6,229 cases in 2007. Only 671 of these involved men. It was three times more common in women over 55 than in younger women. And women younger than 55 were 9.5 times more likely to suffer it than men of that age, an American Heart Association conference heard.

2007年，在美国1000所医院中共发现6229例心碎综合症，其中只有671位患者是男性。美国心脏协会的会议数据显示，55岁以上的女性比年轻女性患病的可能性要多两倍，而55岁以下女性的患病可能则是同龄男性的9.5倍。

No one knows why women are more vulnerable but sex hormones may be at play or men’s bodies may be better at handling stress.

目前还不清楚为什么女性更容易得心碎综合症。不过专家们认为性激素可能起着一定的作用，也有可能是因为男性的身体更擅于处理压力。

The conference also heard that while heart attacks happen more in winter, broken heart syndrome is more common in summer. About 10 percent of victims will have a second episode sometime in their lives.

会议报告还显示，与心脏病常发生在冬季不同，心碎综合症则更容易出现在夏季。10%患心碎综合症的病人以后还会出现复发的现象。