[Pregnancy and heart disease]

Rev Esp Cardiol. 2006 Sep;59(9):971-84. doi: 10.1157/13092801.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

Pregnancy and delivery are associated with substantial physiological changes that require adaptations in the cardiovascular system. These changes, well-tolerated in pregnant women without heart disease, expose woman with cardiovascular disease to serious risk. In fact, heart disease is the most frequent cause of maternal death, after psychiatric disorders, and the number of pregnant women with heart disease is expected to grow in the coming years. Preventing cardiovascular complications should be the main aim of every cardiologist involved in managing pregnant woman with congenital or acquired heart disease. Unfortunately, there is a lack of data which would help in the management of these patients during pregnancy and the clinical practice guidelines are often based on assumptions regarding how a specific substrate is going to respond to the physiological changes occurring due to pregnancy.

Publication types

  • English Abstract
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cardiovascular Agents / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Heart Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Heart Diseases / physiopathology
  • Heart Diseases / therapy*
  • Heart Function Tests
  • Humans
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / diagnosis*
  • Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / physiopathology
  • Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / therapy*
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Risk Factors

Substances

  • Cardiovascular Agents