Impact of diabetes on left ventricular diastolic function in patients with arterial hypertension

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Endocrinology
• Hypertension Research

Background:

• Arterial hypertension is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Diabetes mellitus is increasingly prevalent and exacerbates cardiovascular complications.
• Diastolic dysfunction is an early indicator of cardiac impairment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of diabetes mellitus on diastolic function in patients with hypertension.
• To identify specific echocardiographic parameters affected by diabetes in hypertensive individuals.
• To explore sex-specific differences in the effect of diabetes on diastolic function.

Main Methods:

• Echocardiographic evaluation of systolic and diastolic function in 439 hypertensive patients.
• Analysis of overall diastolic function and specific parameters like the E/Ea ratio.
• Comparison of diastolic function between diabetic (DM(+)) and non-diabetic (DM(-)) subgroups.

Main Results:

• Lower prevalence of normal diastolic function in DM(+) patients (19.4% vs. 30.8%).
• Higher rates of moderate/severe diastolic dysfunction in DM(+) patients (15.3% vs. 9.2%, p=0.022).
• Significantly higher E/Ea ratio in DM(+) patients (12.3+/-4.4 vs. 10.8+/-3.6, p<0.001), with effects predominantly in males.

Conclusions:

• Diabetes mellitus adversely affects diastolic function in hypertensive patients.
• The detrimental effect of diabetes on diastolic function is primarily observed in the male subgroup.
• Managing diabetes is crucial for preventing or mitigating diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive individuals.