Scientists discover how you can die of broken heart

Losing a loved one can have a devastating effect on the immune systems of older people, a study has shown.

Elderly people often die soon after their partner. Picture: Getty

White cells in the blood called neutrophils are weakened –sometimes fatally – by the disruption of vital hormones brought on by bereavement, the research suggests.

The same effect does not occur in young people, even though grief might hit them hard psychologically.

Scientists believe the findings may explain frequently reported cases of bereavement leading to death months after the loss of a spouse. Usually, it is pneumonia that claims the lives of the broken-hearted.

Study leader Dr Anna Phillips, reader in behavioural medicine at the University of Birmingham, said: “The neutrophil is a white blood cell. It’s really prolific and what it does is eat and kill rapidly dividing bacteria, like pneuomonia. If your neutrophils are not working properly and you’re exposed to pneumonia, then you’re in trouble.”

The research compared neutrophil responses in 30-strong groups of bereaved younger and older people, as well as non-bereaved individuals. While neutrophil numbers were not lowered in the older people, their ability to kill bacteria with destructive molecules called reactive oxygen species was compromised. The neutrophils in grieving younger people were not affected the same way.

“We thought this was really interesting and may be one of the key reasons older people are more susceptible to infection after a bereavement,” said Dr Phillips, speaking at the British Science Festival at the University of Birmingham.

The damaging impact of grief on the immune system was traced to a disruption in the balance of two key hormones that influence the way people respond to stress, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS). The latter is known to counteract the harmful effects of cortisol in times of stress and protect the immune system, and its level declines with age.

In contrast to their younger counterparts, older individuals in the study were found to have higher levels of cortisol compared with DHEAS.

Co-researcher Professor Janet Lord, also from the University of Birmingham, said: “Cortisol is known to suppress elements of the immune system during times of high stress, so having an unbalanced ratio of cortisol and DHEAS is going to affect how able we are to ward off illness and infection when grieving.

“But it is also incredibly useful – particularly in activating some anti-stress and anti-inflammation pathways – so it’s not as simple as trying to suppress the cortisol in vulnerable people.”

Evidence suggests other elements of the immune system might also be affected by the stress of bereavement, including “T-cells” and “Natural Killer Cells” which fight viruses and cancer, the scientists believe.

Other studies have shown people affected by bereavement do not react so well to flu jabs.

The psychological effects of bereavement are known to last as much as two years, said Dr Phillips. She hopes to conduct a larger trial looking at the potential of giving DHEAS supplements to people who are bereaved. The hormone is only available on prescription for the treatment of adrenal disorders.

She said: “There’s the potential for DHEAS supplementation for a short time – that would be the pharmacological approach. But if you suffer from a bereavement you really need to engage with your social support network and not isolate yourself. It’s really important that you’re not left alone when this happens.”