Question:medium

Peripartum cardiomyopathy occurs within what period of delivery?

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Recall Pearson's criteria: last month of pregnancy to 5 months postpartum.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • Within 7 days
  • Within 6 weeks
  • Within 24 months
  • Within 5 months
Show Solution

The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Recognise PPCM as a diagnosis of exclusion - new-onset systolic heart failure related to pregnancy, with no prior heart disease and no alternative cause for the failure.
Step 2: The accepted timing comes from Pearson's criteria, which bracket the onset to the final month of gestation through the first 5 months postpartum, together with echocardiographic LV dysfunction.
Step 3: Comparing the choices, the postpartum boundary of 5 months corresponds exactly to the criterion, making "within 5 months" the answer.
Step 4: The other intervals fail the definition: 7 days and 6 weeks truncate the recognised window, while 24 months extends well beyond it and would misclassify unrelated dilated cardiomyopathies. So the correct cut-off is 5 months.
\[\boxed{\text{Within 5 months}}\]
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