Frequency of diabetic cardiomyopathy among type-2 diabetics presenting as heart failure.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of diabetic cardiomyopathy among patients with type-2 diabetes presenting with overt heart failure. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Cardiology, Mayo Hospital, Lahore, from April 2008 to July 2009. METHODOLOGY: One hundred patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus having symptoms and signs of heart failure were enrolled. Anthropometric parameters were recorded and all patients had investigations including complete blood count, blood glucose (fasting and random), serum creatinine, fasting lipid profile, haemoglobin A1c, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and Doppler echocardiography. After stabilization, every patient underwent coronary angiography. The data was entered in a structured proforma. RESULTS: Sixty (60%) patients were males and 40 (40%) were females. Duration of diabetes was > 10 years in all. Eighty (80%) were on oral hypoglycemic and 20 (20%) were on insulin. Diabetic cardiomyopathy was found in 40 patients (40%) of the total study patients. Forty percent (40%) patients had marked left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction < 30%). Three (5%) patients died during hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a fairly common cause of heart failure in the native population with type-2 diabetes mellitus and results in high morbidity and mortality.