Genetic Polymorphism in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare type of cardiomyopathy. Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a potentially life-threatening pregnancy-associated disease that typically arises in the peripartum period and is marked with left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure. The cause of peripartum cardiomyopathy remains unclear, but several mechanisms have been proposed which indices a potentially multi-factorial etiologies. Early case reports identified overlap between familial dilated cardiomyopathy and peripartum cardiomyopathy, although the degree of overlap is largely unknown. Evidence supporting a contribution from gene mutations in peripartum cardiomyopathy includes genome-wide association studies, familial occurrence, variable prevalence among different regions and ethnicities, and more recent investigations of panels of genes for mutations among women with peripartum cardiomyopathy. Although the true incidence of genetic cardiomyopathy is not yet known among women with peripartum cardiomyopathy, there is substantial evidence demonstrating that genetic contribution to their condition.