Former hostage developed 'serious heart condition' due to Hamas's treatment

Hannah Katzir, one of the hostages released from Hamas captivity last month, has developed a serious heart condition due to Hamas’s treatment, Israeli media reported her daughter as saying on Wednesday.

"I will say that this is a particularly difficult morning, it is the birthday of my mother who is currently hospitalized in a condition defined by the doctors as severe. There has been a deterioration in her condition that is directly related to captivity," said Carmit Katzir to Army Radio.

"During the time she was there she did not receive medical treatment, and apparently received drugs she should not have received, [and suffered from] conditions of starvation, nutritional deficiencies. Her doctor said the heart pays first. A woman who left without heart problems returned with severe heart problems."

"The deterioration already started when she arrived at Wolfson Medical Center straight from Gaza, even then they saw her poor physical condition, they recognized the heart problems, which were not there before. She came back both heartbroken and with real cardiology problems, among them the broken heart syndrome."

What is broken heart syndrome?

This syndrome may sound like a made-up disease or even a mental condition, but broken heart syndrome is a medical condition for all intents and purposes. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association reveals that broken heart syndrome is on the rise, especially among women aged 50 to 74.

Broken heart syndrome, also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy (from Japanese, traps that are used to capture octopuses and are similar in shape to the structural change of a broken heart), is a medical phenomenon first described in 1980 by American pathologists. They found that 11 out of 15 people who underwent autopsies after death had unique structural changes in the heart. According to estimates, one to two percent of patients who arrive at the emergency room with symptoms identical to a heart attack are diagnosed as suffering from broken heart syndrome. The syndrome is more common in women (9 times more than in men).

Extreme shock syndrome is usually preceded by stress or loss, and the symptoms include severe chest pains, until they feel like a heart attack and sometimes come with fainting and shortness of breath. Lead researcher Dr. Susan Cheng of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center says the trigger could also be something more minor, like a surprise party or anything unexpected, from a car accident to a romantic breakup.

The main symptoms of broken heart syndrome are sudden and intense chest pain, which is an expression of a burst of stress hormones - which can be caused by an emotionally stressful event. The factors as mentioned are diverse and include, among others, the death of a close person, divorce, separation, and sometimes even a very happy but surprising event.

Beyond this syndrome, Katzir suffers, according to her daughter, from other cardiological problems. "The conditions in which she was kept in captivity," says Prof. Yehuda Adler, an expert in cardiology, "may lead to a host of cardiac problems. It is very possible that during this period she had one or several heart attacks, as well as a stroke, which also affects the activity of the heart. In addition, a person who suffered from broken heart syndrome, most likely will recover from it on the one hand, but on the other - their chance of suffering from the syndrome again is greater than the general population."

Elma Avraham's condition improving

Additionally, the family of Elma Avraham, who was released from Hamas captivity in serious condition, told Walla on Wednesday that her condition had improved.

"In the beginning we mainly asked how she was feeling," her son Uri told Walla. "Then we blew her a kiss and she returned it. Her first words were mostly just her lips moving. At first she responded more with her head, or repeated things we said. It took a while before she was able to say a word that could be understood."

"Slowly she said two words, three words," said her son, "she still doesn't hold a conversation like before, but she is talking. She could even be a mother, ask if I'm okay, say I'll get ready for bed. We had to give her an orientation, tell her that she is in Soroka and that we are with her. She said she loves us."

"She came back shattered. She is currently improving, undergoing all kinds of treatments. It is a long journey," Uri added. "Two weeks ago, the scenario that I would not see her was accessible. The fact that I can see her, talk to her, and touch her is amazing. The world of doctors talk about her in terms of a medical miracle. They said they had never seen anything like it and were moved to tears. She is a phenomenon."