Cardiomyopathy during pregnancy: its causes and most prominent health complications

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The months of pregnancy are not devoid of troubles, problems, and successive complaints of fatigue and exhaustion caused by symptoms, and although some of them are normal, resulting from the hormonal changes that pregnancy brings, others may become a cause for concern, especially those health problems related to heart health, whether when the woman is pregnant or after giving birth. The child, and since we mentioned many of the common complications during that period, you must also be aware of the rare type of problems that are less common in their incidence, but they are likely to affect some women and represent a serious danger. We will present in our next article the reasons why pregnant women suffer from morbidity. Heart muscle and the resulting health complications.

Cardiomyopathy during pregnancy

Cardiomyopathy during pregnancy

During the period close to the birth of her child, a pregnant woman may suffer from inflammation or heart muscle disease. The strange thing is that it is not linked to the woman having any previous medical history of heart disease, and you must know that the risk of these heart complications often occurs in the last month of pregnancy. Birth or it may surprise you five months after giving birth.

According to the opinions of doctors and experts in this regard, no known reasons have been found that lead a woman to suffer from cardiomyopathy during those periods. Perhaps this condition is similar to gestational diabetes, that is, it occurs on a temporary and limited basis and is not subject to development, meaning it is impossible for the matter to turn into the risk of severe heart failure.

What is cardiomyopathy in the last month of postpartum?

What is cardiomyopathy in the last month of postpartum?

This condition belongs to one of the types of problems that pregnant women may face, but it is classified as rare and causes a weakening of the heart muscle’s ability to carry out its function of pumping blood to all cells and tissues of the body, which constitutes a threat to life if this dysfunction continues.

Since the impact that this condition has on women’s health occurs in the period surrounding childbirth and is also expected to come until after childbirth, you will be surprised that not all problems have been eliminated, and thus the names that have been given to the condition have varied. Some know it as postpartum cardiomyopathy or inflammation of the muscle. Pregnancy-related heart disease, and its occurrence is not linked in absolute terms to a specific age stage, it only occurs at any age, but women over the age of 30 are most susceptible to its occurrence during pregnancy.

When talking about the damage caused by exposure of the heart muscle to heart disease, it is linked to causing damage to one of the chambers of the heart. In general, the normal heart consists of four chambers, two upper and two lower, and the effect occurs in the left ventricle, which causes laziness in its ability to carry out its vital function of pumping. Oxygenated or oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

Symptoms of cardiomyopathy during pregnancy and childbirth

Symptoms of cardiomyopathy during pregnancy and childbirth

As a result of the similarity of the symptoms of cardiomyopathy to the normal symptoms of pregnancy that most women have to face during that period, it may be difficult to distinguish and detect whether a woman has this condition, in addition to its overlap with other types of problems that women may encounter, but the most common symptoms can be observed as follows:

• Respiratory difficulties in the form of shortness of breath, which worsens especially when going to bed to sleep, lying on the couch, or exhausting the body by engaging in heavy physical activities.
• Feeling weak and general fatigue
• Swelling and swelling of the tips of the feet
• Increased heart rate
• Suffering from dry cough attacks
• Swollen neck veins and arteries
• Feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and heaviness in the head
• Orthostatic hypotension increases when standing suddenly from a lying or sitting position
• Feeling pain in the chest muscles

Causes of cardiomyopathy during pregnancy and childbirth

Causes of cardiomyopathy during pregnancy and childbirth

Facing cardiomyopathy during pregnancy may be related to genetic factors that interfere with the matter and cause it to occur and raise the risk levels as a result of this condition being linked to genetic mutations from the mother. This occurs in up to 15% to 20% of women, and although it is not possible Experts have not yet identified the main cause behind the occurrence of cardiomyopathy in the last stage of pregnancy, but a number of factors have been monitored that increase the risk of infection, including:

• Hypertension.
• Mothers with diabetes
• Overweight and obese people
• Low levels of selenium and zinc, both of which are essential for cardiovascular health
• Multiple pregnancies, whether with twins or triplets
• The woman has obtained a previous medical diagnosis confirming that she has positive cardiomyopathy in the peripartum period.
• Facing some health problems during pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, anemia, and thyroid disorders.

Complications of perinatal cardiomyopathy

The weakness and laziness of the left ventricle in the heart will be reflected in the health of the other vital organs in the body, especially the lungs and liver, as the sufficient amount of blood does not reach them to carry out their functions, in addition to the negative impact on the health of the rest of the other organs that have their primary dependence on it, which casts a shadow over the entire body and may develop. It leads to complications of heart failure, which increases the chances of developing blood clots and blood clotting disorders. The most prominent complications resulting from this are:

• Irregular heartbeat
• Acute heart failure.
• Having blood clots
• Cerebral Palsy

Treatment of perinatal cardiomyopathy

Treatment of perinatal cardiomyopathy

As a first step to begin the treatment phase, the symptoms of cardiomyopathy must first be controlled by treating them. The choice of the therapeutic method depends on the degree of severity of the health condition and the extent of the heart being affected. The doctor then determines the following treatment options:

• The doctor will prescribe drug treatments that include anticoagulants and other classes of drugs that the doctor may recommend after completing the examination procedures.
• The doctor may advise the installation of a cardiac device, which is one of the medical devices used to control irregular heartbeats, and the doctor may implant it in the woman.
• Installing a device to regulate the work and function of the left ventricle.