부산대학교 도서관

Introduction: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a form of systolic heart failure that occurs during pregnancy or in the early post-partum period. Obesity is known to be associated with other forms of heart failure in young adults, however it is unclear if it is also a risk factor for the development of PPCM.Objectives: To investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) with PPCM and heart failure in the years following childbirth.Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of pregnant women in the Danish National Patient Registry between 2004 - 2017. Baseline characteristics and other risk factors were obtained at the first prenatal visit (occurring at 8-11 weeks post-conception). Women were followed until the end of the study period, emigration, or death. Logistic regression was performed, adjusting for age as well as other known risk factors for PPCM. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to assess the long-term risk of development of heart failure.Results: There were 403,820 pregnancies evaluated in 300,892 women, with an average age of 29 years. The average BMI was 24.4 kg/m2, with 21.6% classified as overweight (BMI 25 - 30 kg/m2) and 12.8% as obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2). The rate of PPCM was 0.1 per 1,000 in normal weight and overweight groups, and 0.3 per 1,000 in the obese women. After adjustment for age, ethnicity, smoking status, gestational diabetes, and presence of preeclampsia, there was a statistically significant increased risk of the development of PPCM up to 6 months after childbirth in patients who had class I (odds ratio [OR] 2.25, 95% CI 1.08-4.68) but not class II/III obesity (OR 1.63, 95% CI 0.60-4.43). This elevated risk persisted during long term follow up, with hazard ratios of 2.43 (95% CI 1.55 - 3.80) in women with class I obesity and 3.20 (95% CI 1.93 - 5.30) in women with class II/III obesity.Conclusions: High early pregnancy BMI is associated with elevated risk of development of peripartum cardiomyopathy even after adjustment for traditional risk factors. This risk of heart failure persists for several years after childbirth.