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- Title
Recovery from peripartum cardiomyopathy after treatment with bromocriptine
- Authors
Habedank, Dirk; Kühnle, York; Elgeti, Thomas; Dudenhausen, Joachim W.; Haverkamp, Wilhelm; Dietz, Rainer
- Abstract
Abstract: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a potentially devastating cause of heart failure that affects women late in pregnancy or in early puerperium. Recent findings showed that a 16 kDa fragment of prolactin may induce myocardial damage, and this offered a new option of treating PPCM by blocking prolactin with bromocriptine. We report on a 35-year-old woman with a twin gravidity who gave birth to two healthy boys at day 36/6 and developed a potentially fatal PPCM. Within 3 days since delivery she suffered from severe symptoms of heart failure (orthopnoea, pleural and pericardial effusion, reduced systolic function LVEF 15%). Bromocriptine 2.5 mg bid was added to standard heart failure therapy at day 6 after delivery, and within a week the patient recovered to NYHA functional class II. 2 months later she presented in a good state, NYHA class I, and MRI confirmed an LVEF of 60%. Balancing the potential side effects of bromocriptine against the very poor prognosis in severe PPCM our case supports the use of bromocriptine as a specific novel therapy.
- Subjects
TREATMENT of cardiomyopathies; BROMOCRIPTINE; HEART failure risk factors; MATERNAL health; PUERPERIUM; PROLACTIN
- Publication
European Journal of Heart Failure, 2008, Vol 10, Issue 11, p1149
- ISSN
1388-9842
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1016/j.ejheart.2008.09.001