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Potential Risk of Hypoglycemia in Patients with Heart Failure

Yasushi Teshima1, Ryosuke Shiga1, Shotaro Saito1

  • 1Department of Cardiology and Clinical Examination, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University.

International Heart Journal
|July 21, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Patients with chronic heart failure experience prolonged hypoglycemia, even without diabetes treatment. This study highlights the risk of low blood glucose in heart failure patients, suggesting malabsorption as a potential cause.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Cardiology
  • Metabolic Disorders

Background:

  • Glucose metabolism alterations in chronic heart failure are not well understood.
  • Previous research has not focused on sequential interstitial glucose changes in non-diabetic heart failure patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sequential interstitial glucose concentration changes in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).
  • To compare glucose profiles between CHF patients and those with chronic heart disease but no heart failure, excluding antidiabetic therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a continuous glucose monitoring device (FreeStyle Libre Pro) for 1-week monitoring.
  • Enrolled 11 patients with CHF (Heart failure (+)) and 7 controls (Heart failure (-)).
  • Analyzed interstitial glucose levels, including average, peak, duration of hyperglycemia (≥ 140 mg/dL), and hypoglycemia (< 80 mg/dL).

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in average glucose, peak values, or hyperglycemia duration between groups.
  • Significantly longer duration and lower trough values of hypoglycemia in the Heart failure (+) group.
  • Prolonged hypoglycemia observed predominantly from midnight to morning in Heart failure (+) patients, often without subjective symptoms.

Conclusions:

  • Patients with chronic heart failure are at increased risk of hypoglycemia, independent of antidiabetic treatment.
  • Malabsorption is a potential contributing mechanism for hypoglycemia in this population.
  • Continuous glucose monitoring reveals significant nocturnal hypoglycemia in heart failure patients.

Keywords:
Continuous glucose monitoringHyperglycemia

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