Broken heart syndrome is real

Hopefully, as Valentine’s Day nears, you aren't feeling brokenhearted. Perhaps surprisingly, though, broken heart syndrome is an actual medical condition.

It's a form of cardiomyopathy, or a weakening of the heart muscle, typically among middle-age women who have sustained emotional or physical stress. Patients have chest pain and shortness of breath, and their electrocardiagram scans can suggest a heart attack, too. But the symptoms are usually short-lived.

UW Medicine cardiologist Zachary Goldberger discusses the condition in a downloadable video.