CLICK: "Johns Hopkins scientists discover that emotional shock can trigger sudden, reversible heart failure that is not a classic heart attack

Shocking news, such as learning of the unexpected death of a loved one, has been known to cause catastrophic events, such as a heart attack. 

Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that sudden emotional stress can also result in severe but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a classic heart attack.  Patients with this condition, called stress cardiomyopathy but known colloquially as “broken heart” syndrome, are often misdiagnosed with a massive heart attack when, indeed, they have suffered from a days-long surge in adrenalin (epinephrine) and other stress hormones that temporarily “stun” the heart. "