Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: Review and Practice Guidelines
Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: Review and Practice Guidelines
Viral myocarditis has been proposed as the main mechanism for PPCM and was first reported by Goulet et al. This proposal was later supported by Melvin et al, who found myocarditis during endomyocardial biopsy in 3 women with PPCM. The biopsy specimens had dense lymphocytic infiltration with a variable amount of myocytic edema, necrosis, and fibrosis. Others have also reported an association between PPCM and viral myocarditis. In a study by Felker et al, 62% of women with PPCM had myocarditis or borderline myocarditis on biopsy; however, clinical outcomes did not differ between women with and without myocarditis.
Viral Myocarditis
Viral myocarditis has been proposed as the main mechanism for PPCM and was first reported by Goulet et al. This proposal was later supported by Melvin et al, who found myocarditis during endomyocardial biopsy in 3 women with PPCM. The biopsy specimens had dense lymphocytic infiltration with a variable amount of myocytic edema, necrosis, and fibrosis. Others have also reported an association between PPCM and viral myocarditis. In a study by Felker et al, 62% of women with PPCM had myocarditis or borderline myocarditis on biopsy; however, clinical outcomes did not differ between women with and without myocarditis.
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