Can Halloween scares actually be dangerous for your heart? What cardiologists say ...Middle East

For some, Halloween is all about fun, with trick-or-treating, costumes, candy and parties.

For others, it’s about spooky season: heart-pounding haunted houses, jump-scare horror movies and frightening decorations.

But could those scary moments literally “scare you to death?”

Technically, yes. But it’s rare and unlikely, cardiologist Jeff Ziffra with Advocate Health said.

“Often when we’re scared, we get a jolt, a sudden rush of adrenaline, our blood pressure and heart rate raise,” Ziffra said during an interview with NBC Chicago. Pre-existing conditions or underlying heart disease are typically a factor, as spikes like that can trigger cardiac issues.

“It can also cause an issue known as broken heart syndrome, or what we call stress-induced cardiomyopathy that looks and feels like a heart attack, heart failure,” Ziffra said. “And very rarely, death.”

When a person is frightened or believes they are in danger, the brain triggers a surge of adrenaline, the American Heart Association said. That makes the heart beat faster and can push the body into “fight-or-flight” mode.

It also affects the liver and pancreas, the organization said.

In a post from the American Heart Association, Dr. Vincent Bufalino, a cardiologist and president of Advocate Medical Group in Downers Grove said the impact typically depends on the severity of the scare.

“You can have a sudden cardiac-related event related to an adrenaline surge, but I think it would be a stretch to say you could get that from someone coming in a werewolf costume to your front door,” he said in the post. “This is the kind of thing that you can’t prepare for. If it happens, it happens, and you hope your body doesn’t overreact to that event.”

Swings in emotion may not have as much of an effect on those with healthy hearts. Those with pre-existing risk factors, such as known heart disease, heart rhythm issues, previous heart attacks or heart problems that run in the family may want to avoid scary activities, Ziffra said.

“Adrenaline is a funny thing,” Bufalino said. “We can’t measure it. The precipitating events are diverse. Your response to an event might be different than mine.”

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