Postpartum cardiomyopathy: a diagnostic dilemma

Postpartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is the development of heart failure in the last month of pregnancy or within 5 months after delivery without an identifiable cause in a previously healthy female. It is a rare condition, which carries a high maternal mortality. We describe the case of a 35-year-old South Asian woman who presented with dyspnoea, fatiguability, peripheral oedema and abdominal distension. Given the non-specific symptoms, echocardiographic findings indicative of left ventricular systolic dysfunction established the diagnosis of PPCM.