If you look at the people around you – you will find that the vast majority, if not all – were affected by the war in one way or another, or know someone who was affected by it. The Hillel Yaffe Medical Center reports that in the last two weeks there has been a significant increase in the number of referrals from young women in their fifties, with typical complaints of a heart attack – whether it is a real heart attack or the “broken heart syndrome” and its literary name is Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. “This is a well-known syndrome, which is manifested in a temporary decrease in the function of the heart muscle, which usually occurs as a result of significant mental stress, for various reasons – starting from being fired from work, notification of the death of a loved one, a home break-in, a medical procedure or anything else that causes significant anxiety. It’s more common in women than men, about nine times – and it’s quite an unusual thing to encounter in the emergency room,” noted Prof. Ariel Rogin, director of the heart department at the medical center.”We have a WhatsApp group of the directors of the cardiology departments across the country and all of them have reported an increase in this phenomenon, while at the same time there are women who have even experienced a heart attack – without having any risk factors. When we look at the big picture, we discover, for example, that one of them is taking care of her son who serves In Magellan in the Gaza Strip, and they haven’t met in the last month, and another said that her son is in Golani and they haven’t met in four weeks,” he said, “In general, heart diseases are much more common in men – so I don’t remember when I encountered a situation where most of the patients in the intensive care unit Lev – were treated, until now.”
Prof. Rogin added: “Five women were hospitalized in the department, when one of them experienced a heart attack at the age of 48 – with no risk factors, and all her arteries were smooth, except for one that was blocked due to a state of great tension and stress, due to the fact that her son serves in an elite unit and is in the Gaza Strip. Upon her arrival at the hospital, she was immediately taken for catheterization. The other women were diagnosed with broken heart syndrome, which is characterized by changes in the EKG – when most of the time the patient’s arteries turn out to be completely normal.”
Do you know what causes the syndrome?
“Yes, it is stress. In such a situation, a lot of adrenaline is released and when it arrives in a very large amount, it actually affects the level of heart function. Fortunately – as far as patients with the syndrome are concerned, the heart returns to normal function a few weeks later.”
Is there a way to prevent the situation?
“It’s a bit difficult for me to tell people not to be stressed during the war – so I would recommend trying to find ways to calm the mind, such as sports activity, meditation or anything that makes you feel good. In any case, I emphasize – if you feel unwell, in an unusual way, seek treatment Medical. It must not be underestimated because sometimes these feelings are a heart attack.”
And what about the hospitalized children?
“We contacted the city officer and he arranged for the soldier from Maglan to be taken out of the Gaza Strip so that he could meet his mother. However, the woman who said her son in Golani asked not to be called – she came to this situation because of the worry, and now does not want to worry him.”
