What is ... PPCM?
The disease, peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), weakens a woman's heart so that it no longer pumps blood efficiently. The disease is relatively rare, affecting about one in 3,000 to 4,000 previously healthy American women. Most PPCM patients are treated with medicine, but about 10 percent require a heart transplant or mechanical heart-assist device to survive. The cause of PPCM has been unknown. -IMC Heart Institute
