Rising trends of peripartum cardiomyopathy: insights from the COVID-19 pandemic

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare, life-threatening condition of unknown etiology occurring in late pregnancy or early postpartum. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new diagnostic challenges, particularly in distinguishing PPCM from COVID-19-related cardiomyopathy, both of which may share overlapping clinical features. This study was done to investigate the temporal relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the onset of PPCM, highlighting possible implications for maternal health in the post-COVID-19 era. A prospective observational case series was conducted at a tertiary care center in South India. Four postpartum women with recent or past COVID-19 infection were diagnosed with PPCM over a six-month period. Three of the four patients succumbed despite intensive care and multidisciplinary interventions. The clustering of these cases in a short time frame and their shared history of COVID-19 infection raises questions regarding a potential pathogenic link. Future studies are needed to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms linking COVID-19 and PPCM.