[Myocardial function in patients with type I diabetes mellitus]

Myocardial contractility was examined in patients with type I diabetes mellitus without coronary disease by selective tolerance test with transesophageal heart stimulation using doppler cardiography. Nineteen diabetics aged 17 to 36 with the disease duration from 0 to 20 years were examined. Maximal ejection time before and after the test was assessed. The findings indicate impaired myocardial contractility in the examinees, though clinical signs of manifest circulation insufficiency were undetectable in all the patients. The authors come to a conclusion on the significance of diabetes duration and severity in development of myocardial injury.