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Can you die of a broken heart?

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absentgrana Thu 06-Dec-12 12:41:16

Unlikely to be pneumonia – "the old man's friend" – in the future though, given the increasing uptake of the pneumonia jab among over 65s. However, you can't vaccinate against a broken heart.

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Greatnan Thu 06-Dec-12 12:28:38

Shakespeare got it wrong when he said 'Men have died and worms have eaten them, but not for love' (As you like it).
My mother told me that when her mother died, her father, who was in normal health, stood at the graveside and said 'I'll soon be with you, Kate'. He was dead in three days. I have known similar stories amongst other elderly couples.
I am a great believer in the effect that our emotions have on our physical well being. We know that some people with incurable illnesses sometimes just give up and 'turn their face to the wall'.

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jeni Thu 06-Dec-12 12:21:19

The best university there is!

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Ana Thu 06-Dec-12 12:16:02

Makes sense to me.

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Movedalot Thu 06-Dec-12 12:14:34

At the Degree Congregation at Birmingham University yesterday I read:

Immunity experts at the University have found biological evidence to suggest the bereavement lowers physical immunity, putting older people at risk of life-threatening infections. They have found that the emotional stress of bereavement is associated with a drop in the efficiency of white blood cells known as neutrophils, which combat infections such as pneumonia, a major cause of death in older adults.

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