Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Nemeth, J.
Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM): Prevalence and clinical characteristics in Styria.
Humanmedizin; [ Diplomarbeit ] Graz Medical University; 2020. pp. 49
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Rainer Peter
- Schöll Wolfgang
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- Abstract:
- Peripartum Cardiomyopathy is a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition, however its etiology still remains unknown.(1,2) No prevalence for it has yet been described for Styria. The goal of this thesis is to present a prevalence referred to the number of live births and furthermore characterize its phenotype. A KAGes-wide research from the Jannuary 1st, 2001 to October 23rd, 2018 was performed and resulted with sixteen patients (n = 16) who were symptomatic at some point in the peripartal period and/or diagnosed with the disease. After careful exclusion and inclusion of two valid PPCM cases that occurred outside of the search period, twelve of them (n = 12) were eligible for closer retrospective analyzation. Descriptive statistics was applied with the help of programs as SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The majority of the collected variables were quantitative and expressed as mean values with standard deviations. Categorical variables were demonstrated as frequencies and percentages. Results have later been interpreted compared to current international data. With a periodic prevalence of about 0.006% (1:16 667) PPCM, compared to international data is noticeably rare in Styria. Several limitations of this study may suggest a high number of unreported cases and underestimate the actual prevalence. However, its clinical presentation, which mostly includes heart failure symptoms like shortness of breath, peripheral edema, cough, fatigue and/or orthopnea, ranges from moderate, mild forms up to severe acute HF and cardiac death. (3) In physical examination, patients frequently show reduced ejection fraction and dilated LVEDD, as well as pleural and pericardial effusion. Laboratory parameters are important to rule out PPCM and predict its prognosis but should always be used together with other diagnostic methods. Due to its varying appearance, the management of PPCM requires interdisciplinary expertise. In the future, better screening procedures and specific therapy could help clinicians prevent potentially fatal outcomes.