SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — American Heart Month shines a light on cardiovascular health.

One of the medical conditions to look out for is Broken Heart Syndrome or Stress Cardiomyopathy. It’s a condition that feels and acts much like a heart attack but is brought on by emotional stress.

Dr. Gary Chan of MercyOne of Siouxland told KCAU 9 News more about the condition.

“Loss of loved ones or a devastating medical diagnosis, financial loss or a domestic dispute. And what happens is for them, for reasons that are not totally clear, but we know what happened. What happened is their heart stops functioning,” said Dr. Chan.

Treatment of the condition, on top of medical intervention, is addressing the underlying stress and emotional support.