(Image source: BBC News)

BY NATHAN BYRNE

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

Heartache, heartbreak, then death? Well, researchers say it’s possible, according to a study published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Cardiology.

Grief can actually cause a heart attack, according to a New York Times blogger who writes:

“...scientists have confirmed what the medical world has long suspected: The so-called broken-heart syndrome is real.”

A writer for Health Magazine explains the link between broken hearts and -- well -- broken hearts.

“Roughly 14% of the study participants—who were interviewed by researchers within days of their attack—had lost someone close to them in the previous six months. … researchers estimated that the risk of having an attack is 21 times higher in the 24 hours following a death than it is one to six months later.”

How is that possible? Sacramento’s KCRA reports...

“...grieving spouses had higher long-term risks of dying from heart disease. Researchers think that those in mourning tend to get less sleep, have higher stress and they may forget to take their medications.”

The study’s lead author adds this theory, in an interview with MSNBC...

“People are dealing with depression, anger and anxiety … That can lead to increases in heart rate and blood pressure. It can also lead to a coagulation response in which the blood is more likely to become sticky and clot and that can lead to a blockage and then a heart attack.”

The senior news editor for PsychCentral focuses on the mental-health causes of physical problems. He writes...

“Providing appropriate psychological interventions for someone who is grieving is also important.”