Subtle decline in cardiac mechanics is correlated with albuminuria in asymptomatic normotensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a two-dimensional strain echocardiography study

Abstract Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) insidiously affects the myocardium with subsequent cardiomyopathy, it also pathologically involves the microvascular bed of the kidney reflected by albuminuria. This study aimed to investigate the relation between albuminuria and subclinical left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in asymptomatic normotensive patients with T2DM assessed by two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography.Methods and results Sixty normotensive patients with T2DM, within 5 years of initial diagnosis, receiving conventional oral antidiabetic medications were included and subdivided into 2 subgroups, each including thirty patients according to the presence of albuminuria, together with thirty healthy control subjects all underwent full echocardiographic examination including left ventricular (LV) regional and global longitudinal strain (GLS) measurements. Laboratory tests including serum creatinine, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) were withdrawn for the three groups. There was a significant reduction in average peak systolic LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) in patients with T2DM when compared to control group (-16.18 ± 2.78% versus -18.13 ± 2.86%, P<0.001), however there was no significant difference in average peak systolic LV GLS between both diabetic subgroups (-15.57 ± 2.77% in subgroup with albuminuria versus -16.79 ± 2.70% in subgroup without albuminuria, p=0.077). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between ACR and reduction of GLS in patients with T2DM and albuminuria (r =0.38, P=0.003). However, this correlation was absent in patients with T2DM without albuminuria (r=0.107, P=0.573). Conclusion: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have subclinical LV systolic dysfunction despite normal ejection fraction through reduction of average peak systolic LV GLS that is correlated with albumin creatinine ratio in patients with T2DM and albuminuria.