Advanced maternal age, multiparity, and family history are common risk factors for peripartum cardiomyopathy in the Kurdish population, with younger patients showing a higher likelihood of left ventricular function recovery.
Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is idiopathic cardiomyopathy that presents during the last trimester or the first several months after delivery and it is a serious complication of pregnancy. Objectives: The aim was to assess the most common risk factors seen among pregnant women leading to PPCM and factors that are associated with better outcomes after therapy. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients who presented to the outpatient cardiology clinic and fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of the European Society of Cardiology were recruited to participate in the study. A detailed history was obtained and left ventricular measurements were evaluated using M-mode, 2-dimentional, and Simpson methods to estimate the ejection fraction. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Results: Mean age at diagnosis was 34.7 ± 5.2 years. Multiparous women constituted 60% of the study sample. Gestational age at presentation ranged between 28 and 38 weeks, with a mean of 32.9 ± 2.6. Being overweight was a common feature as 60% of patients had above-normal body mass index. Family history was reported in 50% of patients, followed by passive smoking (35%), hypertension (25%), thyroid disorders (30%), and type II diabetes mellitus (20%). The mean left ventricular ejection fraction at the time of diagnosis was 32.3% ± 6.7% with an increase to 44.2% ± 8.9% at follow-up. Younger patients were more likely to regain normal left ventricular function following diagnosis ( P = 0.005). Conclusion: These preliminary results strongly demonstrate that advanced maternal age, anemia, multiparity, and family history were the most common risk factors seen among our population.
Amen et al. (Sat,) studied this question.