A 65-year-old woman developed takotsubo cardiomyopathy after her daughter’s wedding, suffering chest pain and shortness of breath for three days before doctors ruled out a clot-driven heart attack.
Scans instead showed reduced blood flow and ballooning of the left ventricle, a hallmark of the condition known as “happy heart syndrome,” in which intense positive emotion temporarily weakens the heart.
The case report says the syndrome is reversible but can be life-threatening, and the woman later made a full cardiac recovery.
Research cited in the report suggests 1% to 3% of suspected heart-attack patients without a clot may actually have takotsubo syndrome, while only about 4% of reported cases are triggered by positive emotions.
Doctors say the rarity and often milder symptoms may lead to missed diagnoses, underscoring calls for greater awareness that extreme joy, like grief, can acutely stress the heart.