Perpartum cardiac failure. An explanation for the observed geographic distribution in Nigeria.

Peripartum cardiac failure (PPCF) is common in Zaria, in northern Nigeria, but has not been described elsewhere in Nigeria except in Ibadan. The geographic origin of a series of 224 patients with PPCF was studied in Zaria, and a survey of the syndrome as seen in hospitals and by physicians in the northern states of Nigeria was carried out; information was also gathered from medical and nursing students from various tribal groups in the same area. It was found that PPCF is only common in the areas of Hausa majority, mostly around Zaria and Malumfashi, where the postpartum practices of taking hot baths, lying on a hot bed, and taking large amounts of kanwa (a lake-salt rich in sodium) are pursued with great vigour. These customs may impose a critical load on a vulnerable myocardium, and it seems that tribe and tradition could well explain the high incidence of PPCF around Zaria.