Current issues in the diagnosis and management of peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a form of heart failure that occurs in women within 1 month pre- and 5 months postdelivery. The syndrome carries a high mortality and predisposing factors are not known. The incidence and prevalence of peripartum cardiomyopathy appear to be increasing and this article aims to alert clinicians to consider a possible diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy, outlines the current treatment options, and describes recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of this condition.
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Division of Cardiology, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Soweto Cardiovascular Research Unit, 2013 Soweto, South Africa. forstero@medicine.wits.ac.za.
Olaf
O
Forster
Aftab A
AA
Ansari
Karen
K
Sliwa