Can you really die of fright? Heart experts explain the risks as Halloween nears

It’s a familiar phrase, one most of us have heard or even said: “scared to death.” We usually mean it figuratively, but as the Spanish Heart Foundation warns in its cardiology FAQs, the phenomenon can, in exceptional cases, be real.

What does a fright do to the body?

According to the foundation, a sudden fright, extreme excitement, or intense distress can unleash large amounts of stress hormones into the bloodstream. This surge may trigger what’s known as stress cardiomyopathy – a condition that mimics a heart attack in several ways.

The link has been observed in moments of collective tension, such as during natural disasters, wars, or even high-stakes football matches, when emotions run wild. Fortunately, doctors note that the resulting drop in the heart’s pumping strength is usually mild and reversible. Yet in rare, extreme cases, it has led to death.

When a person faces a severe shock or stressful event, their body releases a flood of catecholamines – neurotransmitters like adrenaline and dopamine that raise heart rate and blood pressure. Ángel Moya, head of the Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Unit at the Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona, explains that it’s a natural “fight or flight” response, one also seen in animals. “It prepares the body to defend itself or to flee from danger,” he told Infosalus.

The tako-tsubo syndrome

In fatal instances, the condition is known as tako-tsubo syndrome, or more commonly, “broken heart syndrome.” It was first described in Japan in the 1990s and named after the pot traditionally used by Japanese fishermen to catch octopus – bulbous with a narrow neck, mirroring the distinctive shape the heart takes during the episode.

“It’s an abnormal response – generally, but not always – to a dysfunction in the heart’s contraction,” Dr. Moya explains.

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