Independent risk factor for cardiovascular complications in young people: a case of peripartum cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare but severe myocardial disease characterized by the development of heart failure in the perinatal period in women without previous structural or ischemic heart changes. It usually occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy or in the first months after childbirth and is manifested by symptoms of acute or chronic heart failure, such as shortness of breath, swelling, fatigue and tachycardia. The clinical picture varies from mild symptoms to severe forms with the development of acute heart failure and cardiogenic shock. Diagnosis is based on clinical data, electrocardiographic changes, echocardiography, and exclusion of other causes of cardiac dysfunction. An important aspect is the differential diagnosis with other forms of cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, and myocarditis. The diagnosis uses echocardiography to assess the ejection fraction and structural changes of the myocardium, as well as laboratory tests to exclude other causes. The present clinical case describes peripartum cardiomyopathy in a 27-year-old woman who developed an epileptic status after childbirth, which complicated the course of the disease. The analysis of this case makes it possible to emphasize the importance of timely diagnosis and an integrated approach to the treatment of cardiovascular and neurological complications in the perinatal period, as well as to discuss the specifics of managing patients with this pathology.