Baseline characteristics: demographics and medical history modified WHO II–IV
| All patients (n=152) | Presenting prepartum (n=122) | Presenting postpartum (n=30) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at enrolment (years) | 28.5±6.1 | 28.2±6.2 | 29.6±5.8 |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | |||
| African or black | 79 (52) | 55 (45) | 24 (80)* |
| Mixed | 56 (37) | 50 (41) | 6 (20)* |
| White | 15 (10) | 15 (12) | 0 (0) |
| Other (Arab, Indian, other) | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Language, n (%) | |||
| Afrikaans | 43 (28) | 40 (33) | 3 (10) |
| English | 33 (22) | 29 (24) | 4 (13) |
| isiXhosa | 58 (38) | 41 (34) | 17 (57) |
| isiZulu | 12 (8) | 9 (7) | 3 (10) |
| Other | 6 (4) | 3 (2) | 3 (10) |
| Education level, n (%) | |||
| No school | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) |
| Year 1–7 | 46 (30) | 36 (30) | 10 (33) |
| Year 8–11 | 92 (61) | 73 (60) | 19 (63) |
| Year 12/>Year 12 | 13 (8) | 13 (10) | 0 |
| Income per month, n (%) (ZAR) | |||
| <300 | 56 (37) | 39 (33) | 17 (57) |
| 300–999 | 38 (25) | 31 (26) | 7 (23) |
| 1000–9999 | 54 (36) | 48 (40) | 6 (20) |
| ≥10 000 | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
| General medical history (%) | |||
| Chronic hypertension | 10 (7) | 10 (8) | 0 (0) |
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 3 (2) | 3 (2) | 0 (0) |
| HIV | 36 (24) | 26 (21) | 10 (33) |
| Syphilis | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) |
| Tuberculosis | 4 (3) | 3 (2) | 1 (3) |
| Family history of CVD | 23 (15) | 21 (17) | 2 (7) |
| Family history of PPCM/CMO | 11 (7) | 10 (8) | 1 (3) |
| Heart valve replacement/repair | 16 (11) | 16 (13) | 0 (0) |
| Obstetric history, n (%) | |||
| Gestational age at presentation, women presenting prepartum | |||
| 12–24 weeks | 52 (43) | 52 (43) | 0 |
| >24 weeks | 66 (54) | 66 (54) | 0 |
| Nulliparous n (%) | 36 (24) | 32 (26) | 4 (13) |
| Parous n (%) | 116 (76) | 90 (74) | 26 (87) |
| Social history, n (%) | |||
| Smoking | |||
| Current | 10 (6) | 8 (7) | 2 (7) |
| Former | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Alcohol use | |||
| Current | 3 (2) | 1 (1) | 2 (7) |
| Former | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
*p<0.009.
CVD, cardiovascular disease; CMO, cardiomyopathy; PPCM, peripartum cardiomyopathy.