Dr Tara Narula says extreme stress can cause a ‘stress-induced heart attack’ (takotsubo cardiomyopathy)

What was said

"“So for example, there is something called a stress induced heart attack. A real entity in cardiology that not many people know about.”"

Dr Tara Narula, a cardiologist and ABC News chief medical correspondent, says there is a “real entity in cardiology” she describes as a stress-induced heart attack, where a surge of stress hormones can “stun” the heart even when the coronary arteries look “relatively healthy”. She calls it takotsubo cardiomyopathy and says it can lead to heart failure and arrhythmias and that “some people can die”, adding it is seen predominantly in older women and can follow both negative and positive shocks.