Effect of inflammation and autoimmunity in peripartum cardiomyopathy

Objective To explore the effect of inflammation and autoimmunity in peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). Methods A total of 82 PPCM patients and 100 normal delivery patients were randomly selected and conducted epidemiological survey. High-sensitivity Creaction protein (hs-CRP), troponin I, human antimyocardial antibody IgG (AMA-IgG), Coxsackie B virus IgG (CBV-IgG) and adenovirus antibody IgG (ADV- IgG) were detected with ELISA. Results Compared with control group, PPCM patients had older age, higher pressure, higher proportion of cesarean section and infection. The levels of serum hs-CRP, cTNI, and leucocyte were markedly higher in PPCM patients compared with control. The positive proportion of AMA-IgG and CBV-IgG was significantly increased (P<0.01) in PPCM patients compared with the control. Logistic regression showed that infection (OR=2.87, 95%CI 1.15-5.24), increased hs-CRP (OR=1.86, 95%CI 1.08-4.02) and positive AMA-IgG (OR=2.68, 95%CI 1.19-4.85) were independent risk factors for PPCM. Conclusions Inflammation and autoimmunity play an important role in peripartum cardiomyopathy.