A Case of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Associated Preeclampsia.

Park, Jee Hyun; Song, Eun Seop; Kim, Se Ryun; Hwang, Sung Ook; Koh, Seung Kwon; Im, Moon Whan; Lee, Byoung Ick; Lee, Woo Young

Case Report

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2003;46(12):2560-2564.
Published online December 1, 2003.

A Case of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Associated Preeclampsia.

Jee Hyun Park, Eun Seop Song, Se Ryun Kim, Sung Ook Hwang, Seung Kwon Koh, Moon Whan Im, Byoung Ick Lee, Woo Young Lee

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Inha University, Inchon, Korea.

Abstract

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is an uncommon form of dilated cardiomyopathy that is often fatal to young women. Estimates of the incidence vary from 1 in 1,300 to 1 in 15,000 pregnancies. The diagnostic criteria of peripartum cardiomyopathy are onset of cardiac failure in the latter part of pregnancy or in the puerperium, absence of obvious cause for cardiac failure and absence of demonstrable heart disease before the last trimester of pregnancy. The delayed diagnosis of this disease may be common due to the rarity of this condition. The early diagnosis and medical treatment for this disease is critical because it may affect the patient's long term prognosis. The mortality rate has been reported to be ranged from 25% to 50%. Persistence of disease after 6 months indicates irreversible cardiomyopathy and portends worse survival. The recurrence of peripartum cardiomyopathy in subsequent pregnancy remains high. The clinical presentation and treatment of patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy are similar to those of patients with congestive heart failure. We experienced a case of this disease in 25 year-old woman who had preeclampsia and preterm labor at 33 weeks of gestation. And report this case with a brief review of the literatures.

Key Words: Peripartum cardiomyopathy