Is Hypertensive Disorder a Unique Risk Factor for Peripartum Cardiomyopathy and Pregnancy-Associated Cardiomyopathy?

he complex relationship between pregnancy and cardiovascular disease is not fully understood. Heart failure during pregnancy was recognized in 1849 Virchow, but it was first described as a distinct clinical entity of cardiomyopathy in 1937. 1 Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is classically defined as development of cardiac failure in the pregnancy or within 5 months after delivery, absence of an identifiable cause of cardiac failure, absence of recognizable heart disease prior to the last month of pregnancy and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. 2 PPCM is a rare, but life-threatening condition of unknown cause that occurs in previously healthy women. It is reported that mortality rates are 2-3% and half of patients return to normal LV function.