Dilated cardiomyopathy prognosis

Pregnancy-related cardiomyopathy

What is the prognosis?
Unlike the second cardiomyopathies are more people with cardiomyopathy periparital healthy by themselves, and they recover heart function. In a study from South Africa, 15% died, while 23% had recovered normal cardiac function after six months of treatment. Improvement, however, was observed both in the 2 and three year after the diagnosis was made, so that improvement phase is longer than the first 6-12 months.

A new pregnancy in a woman who has had periparital cardiomyopathy, provides a clearly increased risk of fresh heart failure. The greatest risk is for those who still have a remnant of heart failure after previous pregnancies.

One study showed that half of those who became pregnant again, went through the next pregnancy, unlers there were signs of new disease and heart failure.

Treatment cardiomyopathy

Pregnancy-related cardiomyopathy

What is the treatment?
Since we do not know the cause of the disease, then we cannot give medicine to treat the disease itself. The treatment, therefore, be directed towards heart failure. Medications such as ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and digitalis use. Typical turnaround time is at least one year. In severe cases, it may be necessary with heart transplantation.

Otherwise you should be careful about using too much salt. You should also limit alcohol intake. It is important to try to be physically active.

How is the diagnosis?

The diagnosis involves the exclusion of other possible explanations for the condition. The main investigation is ultrasound of the heart ( echocardiography ).

This study can provide both descriptive pictures of the extent of heart muscle damage, and it can quantify the degree of eventual heart failure.

Signs and symptoms of cardiomyopathy

Pregnancy-related cardiomyopathy

What are the symptoms and signs, disease?
The condition usually presents with symptoms and signs of heart failure. There is an increased amount of water retention (swollen legs), breathing difficulty on exertion, breathing difficulty when lying but not when you sit up, nocturnal attacks of breathing difficulty, persistent cough, discomfort from the stomach, heart palpitations.

Early symptoms and signs are often overlooked and can be camouflaged by the pregnancy; they are perceived as normal pregnancy signs.

In some cases, thrombosis with obstruction of blood vessels (arteries) in the legs (trunde gangrene), brain (stroke), in the intestine (threatening gangrene), in the heart (heart attack). Such complications can be life threatening.