Table 1. Clinical characteristics of patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and hypertensive heart failure of pregnancy (HHFP) at the initial presentation with heart failure.
| Clinical characteristics | PPCM (N = 30) | HHFP (N = 53*) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity: | 0,820 | ||
| Black/African | 18 (60.0) | 30 (56.6) | |
| Coloured/Mixed ancestry | 12 (40.0) | 23 (43.4) | |
| Age at diagnosis | 31.5 ± 7.5 | 29.6 ± 6.6 | 0.223 |
| Onset of symptoms in relation to pregnancy: | <0.001 | ||
| Last trimester | 0 (0) | 45 (84.9) | |
| Within 1st week after delivery | 9 (30.0) | 6 (11.3) | |
| > 1st week,<1st month after delivery | 7 (23.3) | 0 (0) | |
| > 1st month,<5th month after delivery | 14 (46.7) | 2 (3.8) | |
| Twin pregnancy | 3 (10.0) | 0 (0) | 0.04 |
| Family history of hypertension | 3 (10.0) | 35 (66.0) | <0.001 |
| History of hypertension in previous pregnancy | 0 (0) | 17 (32.1) | <0.001 |
| NYHA FC at presentation: | 0,163 | ||
| Class I and II | 10 (33.3) | 9 (16.9) | |
| Class III and IV | 20 (66.7) | 44 (83.1) | |
| Pedal oedema | 24 (80.0) | 19 (35.8) | <0.001 |
| Parity | 2.4 ± 0.7 | 2.2 ± 0.6 | 0.591 |
| Gravidity | 2.4 ± 0.7 | 2.2 ± 0.6 | 0.595 |
| Smoking: | 0,24 | ||
| Never smoker | 21 (70.0) | 33 (62.3) | |
| Former smoker | 2 (6.7) | 15 (28.3) | |
| Current smoker | 7 (23.3) | 5 (9.4) | |
| Alcohol: | 0,244 | ||
| Never drinker | 23 (76.7) | 45 (89.4) | |
| Former drinker/moderate use | 4 (13.3) | 7 (13.2) | |
| Excessive intake | 3 (10.0) | 1 (1.9) | |
| HIV seropositive | 3 (10.0) | 6 (11.3) | 0.582 |
| Delay from symptom onset to clinical assessment (months) | 2.7 ± 1.4 | 1.1 ± 0.3 | <0.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure | 105.9 ± 16.2 | 162.3 ± 28.4 | 0.003 |
| Diastolic blood pressure | 63.5 ± 9.6 | 105.0 ± 12.1 | <0.001 |
| Basal rales | 16 (53.3) | 41 (77.4) | 0.007 |
| Murmur: | 0,006 | ||
| No murmur | 10 (33.3) | 35 (66.0) | |
| MR | 13 (43.3) | 14 (24.6) | |
| MR + TR | 7 (23.3) | 3 (5.7) | |
| ESM | 0 (0) | 1 (1.9) |
(*48 [90.6%] of the 53 HHFP patients had a diagnosis of preeclampsia; NYHA FC = New York Heart Association functional class; MR, mitral regurgitation; TR, tricuspid regurgitation; ESM, ejection systolic murmur).