For correspondence: nigar65@mail.ru, m.khatira@yahoo.com
Nigar Kamilova: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7443-1503 Khatira Mirzoeva: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5418-6030
Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare but potentially life-threatening cause of heart failure occurring in late pregnancy or the early postpartum period. Physiological cardiovascular adaptation and pregnancy-related complications may mimic PPCM, leading to diagnostic overestimation. This prospective cohort study included 60 pregnant women with clinically and echocardiographically suspected PPCM, stratified by gestational trimester, and 15 healthy pregnant controls. All participants underwent transthoracic echocardiography with assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), chamber dimensions, and diastolic function. True PPCM was confirmed in 4 women (6.7%), predominantly in the third trimester. Compared with earlier gestational groups, women evaluated in the third trimester more frequently demonstrated symptoms of heart failure, significantly reduced LVEF, progressive ventricular dilatation, and marked diastolic dysfunction. In most cases, echocardiographic abnormalities were attributable to physiological cardiac adaptation, anaemia, or hypertensive pregnancy disorders rather than true PPCM. In healthy controls, changes in LVEF remained within physiological limits. These findings indicate that the majority of suspected PPCM cases represent reversible pregnancy-related conditions. Strict diagnostic criteria and dynamic echocardiographic monitoring are essential to prevent overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment.
The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the medical and technical staff of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology No. I, Azerbaijan Medical University, for their invaluable assistance in patient recruitment, echocardiographic assessments, and data collection. Special appreciation is extended to all pregnant women who generously participated in this study.
This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national regulations governing research involving human participants. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Azerbaijan Medical University before the initiation of the study. All participants were fully informed about the purpose, procedures, potential benefits, and risks of the study, and written informed consent was obtained from each participant before enrollment. Participation was voluntary, and participants were assured of their right to withdraw from the study at any stage without any impact on their medical care. All collected data were anonymized and handled with strict confidentiality.
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial or personal interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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Received: November 12, 2025; Reviewed: November 30, 2025; Accepted: December 19, 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62088/timbb/9.2.6Keywords:
Peripartum cardiomyopathy, pregnancy, heart failure, echocardiography, left ventricular dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, differential diagnosis
Kamilova, N., Mirzoeva, K.. (2025). OVERDIAGNOSIS OF PERIPARTUM CARDIOMYOPATHY IN PREGNANCY: A PROSPECTIVE ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC COHORT STUDY. TIMBB, 9 (2), 46-52.