A study conducted by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital showed that a broken heart has similar side effects to a massive heart attack. Officially named stress cardiomyopathy, the condition has been dubbed the "broken heart syndrome."

Cardiologist and lead study author, Ilan Wittstein, M.D., began this study after caring for three patients who had been admitted to the intensive care unit with the appearance of having a heart attack.

Continuing their care, Wittstein discovered they had all been through a traumatic experience directly prior to their admittance.

"It was after seeing these patients that we began looking for this problem, that's how the study was generated," said Wittstein, "trying to explain things we were seeing that had not been explained before in the medical literature."

Patients with cardiomyopathy experience signs of a heart attack and are often misdiagnosed as having a massive heart attack.

"Although no one has counted cases," said Sidney Smith, cardiologist at the University of North Carolina to USA Today, "broken heart syndrome ultimately will account for a fraction of the seven million heart attacks that occur in the USA each year."

People who suffer from any stressful situation release catecholamines (adrenalin and noradrenalin). Patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathy have suffered a days worth of an adrenaline surge along with other chemicals that temporarily stun the heart.

These chemicals can be temporarily toxic to the heart. The study collected 19 cases, mostly women middle-aged or older who were suffering from a traumatic experience and a seemingly painful heart attack.

Tests were run on patients to search for blood clots or a blockage; this usually causes the presumed heart attack.

The results of the 19 cases were compared to a group of seven patients who had suffered classic severe heart attacks.

The team found that initial levels of catecholamines in the "broken hearted" patients were seven to 34 times the normal levels and two to three times higher among the patients with the heart attacks.

Each patient suffered a variety of stressful events including death of a loved one, loss of a partner, a stressful reunion, or a traumatic accident.

"When you're in love and break it off...it does feel as though it was a heart attack. I only felt that once so far and it does feel like you are about to burst something," said Gianna Roberts, sophomore, Northford.

This is a big step in the medical field towards treating patients. While there have been urban legends about dying from a broken heart, this is the first actual physiological explanation that has been published.

"I think that what's interesting is that it hasn't really been studied before to any real extent, and that people are surprised that a pretty straightforward physiological explanation appears to underlie heart failure in response to a sudden shock or traumatic event," said pre-medical advisor, Dr. Mark Jareb.

Besides the chemical imbalances that occur during a broken heart or a heart attack, there are also physical side effects.

"If you have ever had a broken heart then you know that it can have physical side effects on you. Nothing feels worse than that upset stomach, nauseous, disoriented feeling you get when you lose someone you love," said Kelly Edgar, senior, Milford.

Though there was a major difference found between "broken heart syndrome" and a massive heart attack, patient's hearts who suffered from the stress cardiomyopathy returned to normal after two weeks, which is almost unheard of after a heart attack.

"After my father and two brothers passed away a piece of my heart was gone, and just like a heart attack, a broken heart needs to be mended as well. It takes time to become strong again, starting over, your day to day life changes," Kim Lamothe, sophomore, Bridgeport.