💔 This broken-heart syndrome is also known as stress cardiomyopathy or the "takotsubo syndrome." It can occur when a person experiences severe emotional or physical stress.⁠ ⁠ Takotsubo symptoms are indistinguishable from those of a heart attack. An electrocardiogram (ECG) may show abnormalities similar to those found in some heart attacks — in particular, changes known as ST-segment elevation. Consequently, imaging studies and other measures are needed to rule out a heart attack. To get a definitive diagnosis, clinicians look for the following:⁠ ⁠ - No evidence on an angiogram of blockages in the coronary arteries, the most common cause of heart attacks.⁠ ⁠ - An echocardiogram (ultrasound image) or other imaging technique that shows abnormal movements in the walls of the left ventricle. The most common abnormality in takotsubo cardiomyopathy — the one that gives the disorder its name — is ballooning of the lower part of the left ventricle (apex). During contraction (systole), this bu...