498 TED-ED 心碎如何影响你的身体

失去亲人可能是人生中最痛苦的经历之一。

Losing a loved one can be one of the most traumatic experiences of a person's life.

悲伤会带来一系列强烈的情感，影响我们的身心健康。

Grief brings on a whole host of strong emotions that impact both our mental and physical health.

但这些强烈的情感有没有可能危及生命呢？

But is it possible for these powerful feelings to endanger your life?

换句话说，人真的会因心碎而死吗？

In other words, can you actually die from a broken heart?

关于这个问题，最被广泛记录的医学现象之一就是“丧偶效应”。

One of the most widely documented medical phenomena addressing this question is the widowhood effect.

对老年夫妇的研究发现，在配偶去世后的三个月内，一个人的死亡风险可能增加高达百分之九十，导致相当多的夫妇在几个月、几周甚至几天内相继离世。

Studies of elderly couples have found that a person's risk of dying can increase by up to ninety percent over the three months following their spouse's death, leading a significant number of couples to pass away months, weeks, or even days apart.

关于这一效应，有很多理论解释。

There are a lot of theories explaining this effect.

一项研究发现，严重的悲伤和抑郁与血液中炎症蛋白水平升高有关，这可能削弱免疫系统。

One study found that severe grief and depression were associated with higher levels of inflammatory proteins in the blood, potentially impairing the immune system.

而且，抑郁加上失去伴侣的支持，可能会让人难以维持日常的健康需求。

And depression, combined with the loss of a supporting partner, can make it hard for a person to keep up with their daily health needs.

同样，长期的压力会改变激素水平，影响消化，还会扰乱免疫系统。

Similarly, chronic stress can alter hormone levels, impair digestion, and dysregulate the immune system.

不过，虽然这些因素都会缩短寿命，但还有一种情况，强烈的情绪会直接危及生命，那就是应激性心肌病。

But while all these factors can reduce life expectancy, there's another condition where powerful emotions can directly endanger someone's life: takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

这种病也叫压力性心肌病或心碎综合征，最早是在1990年由日本医生命名的，他们用日语中“章鱼篓”这个词来命名这种病。

Also known as stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome, this was originally labeled by Japanese doctors in 1990, who named the condition after the Japanese word for an octopus trap.

在应激性心肌病中，左心室——心脏四个腔室之一——会积血并向外膨胀，形成独特的章鱼篓形状。

In takotsubo cardiomyopathy, the left ventricle, one of the heart's four chambers, pools with blood and balloons outward, giving it a distinctively takotsubo like shape.

虽然大多数患者能在几周内恢复，但大约有百分之五的人会经历可能致命的心脏骤停。

And while most patients can recover over several weeks, roughly five percent will experience a potentially lethal cardiac arrest.

虽然应激性心肌病的确切病因还在研究中，但这种病常常在突发创伤事件后出现。

While the exact cause of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is still being studied, the condition often appears after a sudden, traumatic event.

而且，由于无论是极度悲伤还是意外喜悦都可能诱发这种病，所以关键可能不在于情绪的性质，而在于情绪的强度。

And since cases have been triggered by both shocking grief and unexpected happiness, it's likely not the nature of the emotion that matters, but the intensity.

强烈的情绪事件会导致两种激素突然增加：肾上腺素，也叫肾上腺素，以及去甲肾上腺素。

Intense emotional events lead to a sudden increase in two hormones: epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, and norepinephrine.

这两种激素都会与β肾上腺素能受体相互作用，而这些受体在左心室中浓度很高。

Both these hormones interact with beta adrenergic receptors, which have a high concentration in the left ventricle.

因此，在应激性心肌病发作时，研究人员认为肾上腺素和去甲肾上腺素会涌入左心室，使其快速且反复地收缩。

So during takotsubo cardiomyopathy, researchers believe epinephrine and norepinephrine flood the left ventricle, triggering it to contract rapidly and repeatedly.

几分钟内，这种活动就会让心室筋疲力尽，由于无法有效泵血，血液开始积聚。

Within minutes, this activity exhausts the ventricle, and since it's unable to pump effectively, blood begins to pool.

这种激素激增还会导致为心脏供氧和营养的血管痉挛。

This hormonal spike can also cause spasms in the blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen and nutrients.

所以，尽管心脏内部充满了血液，心肌组织本身可能得不到足够的血流来正常工作。

So despite all the blood inside the heart, the muscle tissue itself may not be getting enough blood flow to function.

这一切的结果往往让人感觉像心脏病发作，但实际上并不是。

The result of all this is something that often feels like a heart attack without actually being one.

患有应激性心肌病的人常常会感到剧烈的胸痛和呼吸急促，尽管他们的动脉并没有像心脏病发作时那样堵塞。

People undergoing takotsubo cardiomyopathy often experience intense chest pain and shortness of breath, even though their arteries aren't blocked like they would be during a heart attack.

这种症状的相似性也让这种病很难诊断，很容易被误认为是更常见的心脏病。

This similarity in symptoms also makes the condition difficult to diagnose, and it's easily confused for more common cardiac conditions.

幸运的是，心碎综合征和心脏病发作的初步治疗是一样的。

Fortunately, the initial treatment for takotsubo cardiomyopathy and a heart attack is the same.

医生可能会开一些血液稀释剂来防止心脏内形成血栓，还会开β受体阻滞剂来减缓心脏的收缩。

Doctors may prescribe blood thinners to prevent clotting in the heart, and beta blockers to slow the heart's contractions.

除此之外，患者可能还需要服用血液稀释剂和降压药，以长期保护心脏。

Beyond that, patients might take blood thinners and blood pressure medications to protect their heart in the long run.

但目前还没有针对心碎综合征的特效治疗方法。

But there currently aren't any specific treatments for takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

我们也不清楚它什么时候会发作。

We also don't know exactly when it will strike.

看起来风险最高的人群是绝经后的女性，也许是因为雌激素有助于预防心血管疾病，而绝经会减少雌激素的分泌。

The population that appears most at risk is postmenopausal women perhaps because estrogen helps prevent cardiovascular disease and menopause decreases estrogen production.

但显然，任何人都可能经历创伤性的情绪。

But obviously, anyone can experience traumatic emotions.

好消息是，大多数情况下，患者都能完全康复。

The good news is that in most cases, patients make a full recovery.

因为虽然我们的身体对情绪的起伏很敏感，但它们也很坚韧。

Because while our bodies are sensitive to the ups and downs of our emotions, they're also resilient.

就像骨折一样，即使心碎了，也能随着时间和关爱慢慢愈合。

And much like a broken bone, even a broken heart can heal with time and care.