Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2- or pregnancy-related cardiomyopathy, a differential to be considered in the current pandemic: a case report

• Published in: Journal of medical case reports 2021-03, Vol.15 (1), p.143-143, Article 143
• Main Authors: Nejadrahim, Rahim, Khademolhosseini, Sara, Kavandi, Hadiseh, Hajizadeh, Reza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Azithromycin - therapeutic use; Blood pressure; Body temperature; Cardiomyopathies - diagnosis; Cardiomyopathies - drug therapy; Cardiomyopathies - physiopathology; Cardiomyopathy; Case Report; Case reports; Cesarean Section; Coronaviruses; Cough - physiopathology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - physiopathology; COVID-19 - therapy; Cytokines; Diagnosis, Differential; Diuretics - therapeutic use; Dyspnea; Dyspnea - physiopathology; Echocardiography; Edema; Ejection fraction; Electrocardiography; Female; Furosemide; Furosemide - therapeutic use; Health aspects; Heart diseases; Heart failure; Heart Failure - diagnosis; Heart Failure - drug therapy; Heart Failure - physiopathology; Heart rate; Humans; Immunoglobulins; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous - therapeutic use; Immunologic Factors - therapeutic use; Infections; Intensive care; Interferon-beta - therapeutic use; Laboratories; Lung - diagnostic imaging; Lungs; Medical prognosis; Oxygen saturation; Pandemics; Pathophysiology; Pre-Eclampsia; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Puerperal Disorders - diagnosis; Puerperal Disorders - drug therapy; Puerperal Disorders - physiopathology; Pulmonary Edema - diagnosis; Pulmonary Edema - drug therapy; Pulmonary Edema - physiopathology; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Stroke Volume; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Vital signs; Womens health
• ISSN: 1752-1947; 1752-1947
• DOI: 10.1186/s13256-021-02751-3

There are limited data on cardiovascular complications of coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnancy, and there are only a few case reports on coronavirus disease 2019 related cardiomyopathy in pregnancy. Differentiation between postpartum cardiomyopathy and coronavirus disease 2019 related cardiomyopathy in pregnant women who develop severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection during peripartum could be challenging. Here, we present a case of possible coronavirus disease 2019 related cardiomyopathy in a pregnant patient, followed by a discussion of potential differential diagnosis. In this case report, we present the case of a young pregnant Iranian woman who developed heart failure with pulmonary edema after cesarean section. She was treated because of low left ventricular ejection fraction and impression of postpartum cardiomyopathy, and her severe dyspnea improved by intravenous furosemide. On day 3, she exhibited no orthopnea or leg edema, but she was complaining of severe and dry cough. Further evaluation showed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection. The possibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection should be considered in any pregnant woman who develops cardiomyopathy and pulmonary edema.