Etiopathogenic, ultrasonographic and prognostic features of postpartum cardiomyopathy

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a classic but uncommon entity in African women about which there is little etiologic understanding. From January 1990 to March 1996 a series of 30 cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy was collected at the Principal Hospital in Dakar, Senegal. Peripartum cardiomyopathy was defined as the occurrence of cardiac insufficiency in a woman with no previous history of heart disease, during the period between the second and twentieth weeks after delivery confirmed by ultrasound evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy. The overall incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy during the study period was 30 out of 1200 deliveries. The mean age of the women in the study was 34 years and mean parity was 5.2. In 13.3% of cases births involved twins. There were no predisposing socio-economic or climatic factors. The clinical picture was severe cardiac failure in 80.3% of cases and left ventricular insufficiency in 16.6%. In all cases ultrasound findings were typical of dilated cardiomyopathy. Serum selenium and vitamin B1 levels were normal. Measurements of T CD4 and CD8 in eight patients were normal. Conversion enzyme inhibitors were administered to twenty patients. Complete remission was achieved in 14 patients, three patients died, and thirteen patients presented ultrasonic evidence of persistent dilated cardiomyopathy. One patient relapsed after a subsequent delivery. These findings are in agreement with previous reports concerning the clinical and prognostic features of peripartum cardiomyopathy in Africa.