Key result
Elevated BNP and low mitral annular velocity predict PPCM, affecting ~1% of high-risk pregnancies.
Why the study?
Predictors of the clinical characteristics of pregnant women at risk of peripartum cardiomyopathy remain unclear.
Do echocardiography and plasma BNP measurement predict the occurrence of peripartum cardiomyopathy in high-risk pregnancies?
Cohort (n=450)
Do echocardiography and plasma BNP measurement predict the occurrence of peripartum cardiomyopathy in high-risk pregnancies?
In high-risk pregnancies, echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular diastolic function and measurement of BNP levels may be useful for predicting the development of peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Echocardiography and BNP may aid PPCM prediction in high-risk pregnancies; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation.
Background: Predictors of the clinical characteristics of pregnant women at risk of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) remain unclear. Methods and Results: We enrolled 450 cases of high-risk pregnancy with any risk factor from among ≥35 years of age, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), multiple gestation, or other systemic or obstetric complications except for a history of cardiac disease. All the women underwent echocardiography and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) measurement during the second/third trimester and the early/late postpartum period. Logistic regression analyses identified clinical factors associated with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. The incidence of PPCM was 0.89%, which was higher than in previous reports. Early diastolic mitral annular velocity (e') was significantly negatively associated with the occurrence of PPCM, and the BNP level showed a significant positive association with the occurrence of PPCM. The percentages of cases of e' <7 cm/s, and BNP level ≥100 pg/mL were 25.3%, and 20.4%, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that HDP was independently associated with e'. A negative correlation between e' and BNP level was observed in HDP. Conclusions: High-risk pregnancy was associated with an increased incidence of PPCM. Measurement of BNP levels and echocardiographic assessment of LV diastolic function during pregnancy may be useful in predicting PPCM.
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Komoriya et al. (2025) conducted a cohort in High-risk pregnancy (n=450). Echocardiography and plasma BNP measurement was evaluated on Incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). In high-risk pregnancies, the incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy was 0.89%, with early diastolic mitral annular velocity <7 cm/s (25.3%) and BNP ≥100 pg/mL (20.4%) acting as predictors.
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