A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Diastolic Function in Young Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasingly prevalent among young adults and is associated with early cardiovascular complications, including diabetic cardiomyopathy and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Early identification of subclinical cardiac dysfunction may facilitate risk stratification and clinical evaluation of cardiovascular involvement. The present study aimed to assess left ventricular diastolic function and its association with glycemic control and duration of diabetes in young adults with T2DM using echocardiography.

This hospital-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Department of Cardiology at Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, over a period of 12 months. A total of 150 young adults aged less than 40 years with T2DM were enrolled. Detailed clinical evaluation, biochemical investigations, and two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography were performed in all participants. Echocardiographic assessment included left ventricular mass, interventricular septal thickness, E/A ratio, E/e' ratio, and ejection fraction. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was graded according to available standard echocardiographic criteria.

The mean age of the study population was 34.8 ± 4.2 years, with males constituting 88 (58.7%) participants. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was observed in 68 (45.3%) participants, with Grade I dysfunction being the most common abnormality (48 (32.0%)). The mean E/A ratio was reduced (1.02 ± 0.28), while the E/e' ratio was elevated (11.2 ± 2.6), suggestive of impaired diastolic function. Significant associations were observed between diastolic dysfunction and poor glycemic control (χ²=16.84, p<0.001) and longer duration of diabetes (χ²=12.31, p=0.002).

Young adults with T2DM demonstrated a high frequency of subclinical left ventricular diastolic dysfunction despite preserved systolic function. Poor glycemic control and longer duration of diabetes were significantly associated with diastolic dysfunction. Given the cross-sectional design of the study, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal relationships. Further prospective studies are required to determine the clinical significance and prognostic implications of these findings.