Listen To A Medical Professional Explain How You Can Actually Die Of A Broken Heart

The next time you hear that someone died of a broken heart, believe it.

It turns out, you can die from a heartache; it's a condition called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy .

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum , Director of Women's Heart Health at Lenox Hill Hospital, explained on HuffPost Live exactly how "broken-heart syndrome" works.

"There is a disease called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy ... this is really when someone has a lot of emotional stress. A lot of stress hormones are released within the body and what that does is it can actually lead to a disease which can stun the heart," Dr. Steinbaum explained. "It looks like a heart attack but it's actually the heart stops functioning."

Check out the rest of the video above to learn how breakups and loss can lead to broken-heart syndrome and watch the full HPL segment here .

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter . Sign up for our newsletter here .

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