Are we missing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in pregnancy? Experience of a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND

Controversies persist regarding risks associated with pregnancy and delivery in women with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). To date, pregnancy outcome data for these patients is scarce. We report the experience of pregnancies with HCM in a tertiary care hospital.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data regarding cardiac illness and obstetric profile of all women attending the cardio-obstetrics clinic from January 1990 to December 2012 were studied. The records of cardiac illness of all women were checked and all patients with HCM were included in the study.

RESULTS

Out of total 2016 patients booked in the cardio-obstetrics clinic between 1990 and 2012, only 4 women were found to have a diagnosis of HCM (0.2%). Of these, 2 women with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and one with non-obstructive HCM had only mild symptoms and tolerated pregnancy and labour well. One patient had HCM with restrictive physiology developed heart failure and intra-uterine fetal death.

CONCLUSION

HCM is underdiagnosed and rarely identified in pregnancy. Most patients with HCM tolerated pregnancy well, howeverone patient with restrictive physiology developed heart failure during her first pregnancy.