Validation of a self-test for early diagnosis of heart failure in peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a serious disease with potentially high mortality and morbidity. Early diagnosis is essential to identify the disease when the left ventricular systolic function is relatively intact, since survival and recovery are both improved by early detection. This patient-administered, easily understood test helps patients to clearly distinguish common signs and symptoms of heart failure from those related to normal term pregnancy. A score greater than 4 points indicates a need for further evaluation and, in this validation process has always been associated with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.