Heart Disease in Pregnancy: A Special Look at Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a disorder in which heart failure develops in the last month of pregnancy or within the first five months postpartum. The exact etiology is not known although recent studies suggest angiogenic imbalance is a key factor with soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1) and a cleaved form of prolactin possibly playing important roles. This review discusses the epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of PPCM and highlights recent advances in our understanding of this disorder.