A member asked:

In a healthy heart can strong emotions such as fear, anger, anxiety and a rxn to a natural disaster cause a heart attack or cardiac arrest? :(

11 doctors weighed in across 4 answers
Dr. Creighton Wright answered

Specializes in surgery

Unlikey: Need other issues-atherosclerosis and risk factors smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, etc.

Answered 11/27/2017

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Dr. Hesham Hassaballa answered

Specializes in Pulmonary Critical Care

Yes: There is a condition caused "broken heart syndrome, " where someone can get cardiac arrest from severe stress or emotions. It is quite rare, but it can happen. It is caused by the surge of stress hormones, like adrenaline, that can be released from severe stress. I must stress - no pun intended - that it is rare, but it can happen, and I have seen it happen.

Answered 11/27/2017

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Dr. Alan Heldman answered

Specializes in Cardiology

Broken Heart: "Acute stress cardiomyopathy" is a condition which mimics heart attack. It can cause severe heart complications including heart failure and death. The diagnosis is generally made by the history (a sudden severe emotional or physical stress followed by chest symptoms) and the finding of heart muscle dysfunction (often in Takotsubo pattern) and no coronary artery occlusion to explain it.

Answered 10/23/2017

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Rarely: Although very uncommon, sudden cardiac arrest has occured in people with healthy hearts when sudden severe emotional trauma has occurred.

Answered 10/11/2016

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