UC Davis Medical Student Gets Grant To Study Broken Hearts
DAVIS (CBS13) - A UC Davis medical student has received a $2,500 grant to study broken hearts.
Fourth-year medical student Annahita Sarcon was awarded the grant from the American Medical Association to research the condition know as broken-heart syndrome.
Broken-heart syndrome is a temporary condition that mimics a heart attack and actually changes the shape of the heart. It is brought on by stressful situations.
Sarcon hopes to come up with a test doctor can use to easily distinguish between a heart attack and broken-heart syndrome.
"While adrenaline and other stress hormones may be involved, the goal of my research is to identify specific biological markers and risk factors associated with this condition, which primarily affects post-menopausal women," explained Sarcon. Because current blood tests cannot distinguish between heart attack and broken-heart syndrome, finding specific markers could lead to a new diagnostic test that could help practitioners better utilize health-care resources, such as cardiac catheterization."
Sarcon is one of only 43 individuals nationwide who received a seed grant this year.
