[Peripartum heart failure: the underestimated role of frequent diseases in the Sudan-Sahelian area]

Abstract

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is rare in developped countries, but still frequent in Africa. It is defined as a heart failure occurring during peripartum, without any underlying etiology. Authors present 3 cases showing that heart failure before or after delivery may be due to causes which are frequent in the Sahelian area but generally misdiagnosed. Anemia, hypertension and rheumatic fever were the causes of heart failure in these 3 patients, but they were not apparent when the initial diagnosis was made. These observations emphasize that, despite the complex hypothesis trying to explain heart failure during the peripartum period, one should think about some frequent causes which can be misdiagnosed because of the pregnant state or the heart failure itself.