Purpose of review: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is an idiopathic disorder defined as heart failure occurring in women during the last month of pregnancy and up to 5 months postpartum. In this review, we outline recent reports about the disease pathogenesis and management and highlight the use of diagnosis and prognosis biomarkers.
Recent findings: Novel data strengthen the implication of endothelial function in PPCM pathogenesis. The first international registry showed that patient presentations were similar globally, with heterogeneity in patient management and outcome. Despite large improvement in patient management and treatment, there is still a sub-group of women who die from PPCM or who will not recover their cardiac function. Remarkable advances in the comprehension of disease incidence, pathogenesis, and prognosis could be determined with multi-center and international registries.
Clinical trials: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02590601.
Keywords: Acute heart failure; Biomarker; Ethnicity; Peripartum cardiomyopathy; Pregnancy; Registry.