Predictive value of echocardiography in Type 2 diabetes

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Diabetology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Echocardiography is a key tool in assessing cardiac function and structure in T2D patients.
• Identifying optimal echocardiographic predictors of CVD in T2D is crucial for risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine which echocardiographic parameters best predict CVD in outpatients with T2D.
• To investigate if these predictors differ between genders.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive echocardiography was performed on 933 T2D outpatients.
• Follow-up included CVD events and non-CVD death using national registries.
• Univariable and multivariable analyses identified predictors, considering competing risks.

Main Results:

• Multiple echocardiographic parameters, including mean E/e' and global longitudinal strain (GLS), predicted CVD.
• In multivariable analysis, mean E/e' was the strongest overall predictor (C-statistic 0.74).
• Gender interaction was observed: mean E/e' best predicted CVD in men (C-statistic 0.75), while GLS was superior in women (C-statistic 0.79).

Conclusions:

• Echocardiographic parameters effectively predict CVD in T2D patients.
• Mean E/e' and GLS are significant predictors, with gender-specific performance.
• This highlights the importance of considering gender in echocardiographic risk assessment for T2D.