Cardiomyopathies and Congenital Heart Disease in Pregnancy.

Cardiomyopathies and Congenital Heart Disease in Pregnancy. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 2018 Dec;78(12):1256-1261 Authors: Westhoff-Bleck M, Hilfiker-Kleiner D, Pankuweit S, Schieffer B Abstract Pregnancy-associated diseases of the cardiovascular system occur in up to 10% of all pregnancies and the incidence is increasing. Besides congenital heart disease or pre-existing cardiomyopathy in the mother, the clinical focus has moved especially to peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) because of the condition's dramatic clinical course and the identification of the underlying mechanisms. This review article concentrates therefore on PPCM, which occurs either in the last month of pregnancy or in the first 6 months following delivery in women with previously healthy hearts. The global incidence is estimated today at roughly 1 : 1000 pregnancies. The condition is heterogeneous, ranging from mild disease to severe acute heart failure with cardiogenic shock and sudden cardiac death of the mother. Important risk factors are pregnancy-associated hypertensive complications, multiple pregnancy and greater maternal age. The pathogenesis comprises cleavage, induced by increased oxidative stress, of the lactation hormone prolactin into a toxic hormone fragment that damages blood vessels, known as the 16-kDalton protein fragment. The lactation-blocking drug bromocriptine prevents prolactin release and promotes healing of PPCM in combination with pharmac...
Source: Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde - Category: OBGYN Tags: Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd Source Type: research