A growing body of research shows intense grief can impact the body but a new study suggests those effects may last far longer than we thought. Researchers in Denmark tracked bereaved relatives and found those with persistent grief symptoms were more likely to die in the 10 years following their loss.
It’s not just emotional — it’s physical
The idea that someone can “die from a broken heart” is tied to a real phenomenon. One medical condition, Broken Heart Syndrome, is also known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy and has been researched for years.
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That condition can mimic a heart attack, with symptoms like dizziness, chest pain and sudden drops in blood pressure. It’s often triggered by emotional shock, such as the death of a loved one.
But in this new study published in Frontiers, researchers weren’t just looking at the short-term impact. They wanted to know what grief does to the body years after the loss.
Who was in the study?
Beginning in 2012, researchers surveyed 1,735 bereaved relatives in Denmark over several years.
Participants answered grief questionnaires at three points: before their loved one’s death, six months after, and again three years later. Based on their responses, researchers sorted them into groups with low and high levels of grief symptoms. Out of the participants, 66% were grieving the loss of a partner, while 27% were adults mourning the loss of a parent.
The symptoms that don’t go away
To measure grief, researchers used a tool called the Prolonged Grief-13 (PG-13) scale, a standard in grief research.
It includes symptoms like:
- Intense longing for the person who died
- Emotional numbness
- Feeling that life is meaningless
- Difficulty accepting the death
- Avoidance of reminders
- Identity confusion
- Trouble trusting others
While many people experience some of these symptoms in the short term, the researchers were focused on people whose grief didn’t ease over time — even after three years.
Mental health and education levels linked to outcomes
The group experiencing the highest levels of grief shared some traits.
“The ‘high grief’ group had lower education on average, and their more frequent use of medication before bereavement suggested that they had signs of mental vulnerability, which may cause greater distress following the death of a loved one,” said lead researcher Mette Kjærgaard Nielsen in a release published by UPI.
Nielsen and her team also found a link between prolonged grief and the use of antidepressants, sedatives and mental health services in the years after loss.
So why do some die from grief?
While researchers can’t explain exactly how grief may lead to death, they say the long-term health risks are real — but not fully understood.
“We have previously found a connection between high grief symptom levels and higher rates of cardiovascular disease, mental health problems and even suicide,” Nielsen said. “But the association with mortality should be further investigated.”
Nielsen’s team suggests that health care providers should pay close attention to patients with a history of depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues after the loss of a loved one.
That may mean tailoring follow-up care, not just in the weeks after a funeral, but for months or even years.
