Browsing by Author "Nicholson, Lauren"

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    The role of melatonin in peripartum cardiomyopathy
    (2013) Nicholson, Lauren; Lecour, Sandrine; Sliwa, Karen
    Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a heart disease of unknown aetiology emerging in previously healthy women towards the end of pregnancy or first postpartum months. Previous studies have suggested that oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis of PPCM. Melatonin is a powerful endogenous antioxidant that can limit the damaging effect of oxidative stress. Melatonin levels are known to be altered in sleep disruption, depression and other cardiac diseases. The aim of this study was to determine if melatonin levels are disrupted in women with PPCM compared to healthy patients. We hypothesised that sleep disruption and depression may contribute to a disruption in their melatonin levels.