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Undiagnosed cardiomyopathy seems to be the main cause of cardiovascular deaths associated with pregnancy in women, as reported by researchers.
Of the 209 deaths related to pregnancy during the 2002-2005 period, researchers found that 54 women died of cardiovascular complications - and 35 women died of cardiomyopathy. About 30% of deaths should have been prevented if these women, who showed signs of being constantly pressed, had been cared for well. Most cardiovascular diseases are not diagnosed until after a woman has given birth or has died.
Early recognition of symptomatic patients and referral of cardiac specialists by obstetric service providers may help prevent serious conditions and death.
The researchers examined records of 2,147,492 births in California. In this group, 732 women died during pregnancy or within a year after pregnancy, and 209 were estimated to be deaths related to pregnancy.
After conducting a statistical analysis, the researchers determined that less than ¼ women had been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease before delivery - 6% were known to have cardiovascular conditions before pregnancy, 8% were diagnosed before giving birth, and another 8% were confirmed to have cardiovascular complications during childbirth. Researchers said 37% of women who died were diagnosed immediately after giving birth — and 41% were diagnosed at autopsy. Among women who died of cardiomyopathy, researchers found that these women were 4 times more likely to have taken illegal drugs than women who died not because of cardiovascular disease. Women who die of cardiomyopathy are also more likely to be obese.
Half of women who die from cardiomyopathy are less than 30 years old; the other 15% are less than 35 years old. Professional medical and general health care professionals must support efforts that help women achieve a healthy weight and avoid abuse of certain substances due to the increased risk of cardiovascular complications in pregnancy.
Unrecognized cardiovascular problems, especially cardiomyopathy, are the cause of death in the final stages of pregnancy and childbirth.
Researchers found that many women showed symptoms that are commonly associated with pregnancy: shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, fatigue, and anxiety. Interventions can be done by a doctor early on, including tighter supervision during pregnancy, measuring oxygen levels in the blood, adding diuretics at the right time, and other simple things that may have had a considerable impact.
Doctors need to remember that women can appear with serious heart problems with symptoms that are not recognized as heart problems. This also applies in pregnancy.
