title: [Acquired and congenital heart diseases during pregancy].
abstract: Heart diseases are the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. The number of patients with congenital heart diseases reaching childbearing age, as well as the proportion of women with acquired conditions, such as ischemic heart disease, becoming pregnant is constantly increasing. All women with known heart disease should have pre-pregnancy counseling, to assess maternal and fetal risk. Women at moderate or high risk should be under the care of a specialist prenatal team with experience in managing women with heart disease during pregnancy. Conditions that are considered at particularly high risk (mortality >10%) include Marfan syndrome with dilated aortic root, severe left ventricular dysfunction, severe left heart obstructive lesions, and pulmonary hypertension. Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare and potentially fatal disease related to pregnancy and the postnatal period that presents with symptoms of congestion and/or hypoperfusion and may rapidly progress to acute and life-threatening heart failure. However, the majority of women with heart disease can tolerate pregnancy; therefore an adequate multidisciplinary approach with the gynecologist, anesthesiologist and cardiologist should be advocated in order to reduce maternal and fetal risks associated with pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Cardiologia, Casa di Cura Polispecialistica Dr. Pederzoli, Peschiera del Garda (VR), Spedali Civili e Universiti degli Studi, Brescia. stefania.defeo@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Feo
authors.forename: Attilio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iacovoni
authors.forename: Pompilio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Faggiano
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000175:diagnosis*