Inhibition of progenitor dendritic cell maturation by plasma from patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy: role in pregnancy-associated heart disease.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play dual roles in innate and adaptive immunity based on their functional maturity, and both innate and adaptive immune responses have been implicated in myocardial tissue remodeling associated with cardiomyopathies. Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare disorder which affects women within one month antepartum to five months postpartum. A high occurrence of PPCM in central Haiti (1 in 300 live births) provided the unique opportunity to study the relationship of immune activation and DC maturation to the etiology of this disorder.

Five-year prospective study of the incidence and prognosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy at a single institution.

Objective: To determine the incidence and prognosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) in rural Haiti.

Patients And Methods: Prospectively identified patients with PPCM treated at the Hospital Albert Schweitzer (HAS), Deschapelles, Haiti, were included in this study. Patients who presented to HAS from February 1, 2000, to January 31, 2005, were identified through a search of the HAS PPCM Registry.

Is peripartum cardiomyopathy an organ-specific autoimmune disease?

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare and serious heart disease that exclusively afflicts women during childbearing years. Symptoms include rapid onset of cardiovascular insufficiency occurring during pregnancy, initiated anytime between the third trimester until 5 months post-partum in the absence of any other signs or history of heart disease. The rare incidence of PPCM and the absence of any relevant animal models have limited research and understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms involved.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy in the Hospital Albert Schweitzer District of Haiti.

Objective: This report details current epidemiologic information on peripartum cardiomyopathy in 1 district of Haiti and represents the initial report of an ongoing investigation that addresses potential etiologic and prognostic factors. Another goal is to alert the medical community of what appears to be a high-incidence area.

Study Design: A detailed peripartum cardiomyopathy registry has been implemented to include a review of case records from 1994 to 2000 and subsequently to identify new cases from February 1, 2000, to July 1, 2001.