Peripartum cardiomyopathy.

In 1971, Demakis and colleagues established the term peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and defined it by criteria based on the clinical profile of their patients. With the recognition that these criteria are arbitrary and that PPCM often presents earlier in pregnancy, the definition of PPCM has been recently updated by a working group on PPCM of the European Society of Cardiology. This article discusses the cause, clinical presentation, prognosis, and treatment of PPCM, as well as other related topics.