Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare but potentially fatal disease defined by heart failure towards the end of pregnancy or in the months following delivery. We aim to raise awareness of the condition and give the clinician an overview of current knowledge on the mechanisms of pathophysiology, diagnostics and clinical management.Systematic literature searches were performed in PubMed and Embase up to June 2016. Cohorts of more than 20 women with PPCM conducted after 2000 were selected to report contemporary outcomes and prognostic data. Guidelines and reviews that provided comprehensive overviews were included, too.New research on the pathophysiological mechanisms of PPCM points towards a two-hit multifactorial cause involving genetic factors and an antiangiogenic hormonal environment of late gestation with high levels of prolactin and sFlt-1. The prevalence of concomitant preeclampsia is high (often 30-45

作者：Anne S, Ersb?ll；Peter, Damm；Finn, Gustafsson；Niels G, Vejlstrup；Marianne, Johansen

来源：Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica 2016 年 95卷 11期