New research in the journal Circulation identifies genetic associations among some women for peripartum cardiomyopathy. About 1 in 2,000 women develop this heart condition during pregnancy or after having a child. This type of cardiomyopathy is similar to others and affects how well the heart can pump blood throughout the body.
These findings may help doctors identify women who could benefit from genetic testing and tailored treatments, such as those used for dilated cardiomyopathy – a similar condition with shared genetic associations. The retrospective analysis was based on an assessment of 67 genes shared through screenings of 469 U.S. women with peripartum cardiomyopathy.
The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.