The stress of losing a loved one can kill us

A woman suffering from “broken heart syndrome” has become the centre of a medical study due the bizarre circumstances that led to her being diagnosed with the condition.

Broken heart syndrome, also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is a temporary heart condition that is often brought on by stressful situations.

It can be triggered by a range of things including the death of a loved one, job loss, domestic abuse or even a surprise party.

But one thing that wasn’t on the list of possible causes was wasabi — at least up until now.

The 60-year-old Israeli woman was at a wedding when she ate a teaspoon of wasabi, expecting it to be avocado, according to a case study published in BMJ Case Reports.

Shortly after eating the spicy condiment, the woman experienced a sudden pressure in her chest that spread to her arms.

The case report author, Dr. Alona Finkel-Oron from Soroka Universitry Medical Centre in Israel, said the woman was "sure it was an avocado”.

“That is why she took a full spoon of it,” Dr Finkel-Oron said.

“Of course, she was shocked to find out it was not.”

The pressure in her chest lasted for a few hours but it wasn’t enough to make her leave the wedding.

However, the following day she was still feeling unwell, so she want to the hospital.

Initial tests indicated that she may have been having a heart attack, with results showing some abnormal activity in her heart along with high blood pressure, according to the study.

But doctors soon realised what the tests were showing wasn’t a heart attack, it was broken heart syndrome.

This condition results in the heart’s main pumping chamber changing shape, which hinders its ability to properly pump blood around the body, according to St Vincent’s Hospital Heart Health.

The name takotsubo cardiomyopathy originated due to the shape the heart’s chamber takes on, which makes it look similar to a tako-tsubo, which is a type of Japanese fishing pot used to catch octopus.

Broken heart syndrome can affect both men and women at any age but is most common in older women.

Most people with the condition usually fully recover within two months, with the heart muscle typically healing in under four weeks.

Doctors gave the woman ACE inhibitors, heart medication widen your blood vessels and Beta blockers, which help reduce blood pressure.

She was kept in hospital for four days and fully recovered from the condition within a month, according to the study.

The researchers believe this is the first report of broken heart syndrome being triggered by eating wasabi.

It is believed the unusually large amount of wasabi may have resulted in the woman released an excess of catecholamines, a type of hormone that is released when a person is stressed.

They also found the patient may have been more at risk as she had non-obstructive coronary artery disease.

There have been previous reports of people developing the condition after eating food, but those cases were caused by an allergic reaction rather than the food itself.

Though broken heart syndrome is very rarely fatal, experts believe it there is a risk it could cause lasting damage by weakening the heart.