Gustavo Oliveira da Silva et al. Marilia de Almeida Correia Raphael Mendes Ritti-Dias
Diabetes mellitus is characterized by a group of metabolic disorders marked by high blood glucose levels. Over 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The prevalence of T2DM has been increasing over the last decades worldwide, making it a serious global health concern. T2DM leads to an increased risk of the development of several health problems that result in high medical costs, poor quality of life, and higher mortality rates. More specifically, high blood glucose levels can eventually cause overall vascular harm that can affect the heart, eyes, kidneys, and nerves leading to serious complications. The vascular impairments of T2DM are amid the gravest consequences of the disease. Atherosclerosis is the main cause of the lower life expectancy in T2DM, with diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy being the leading factors responsible for end-stage renal disease and blindness. The risk of cardiovascular events is increased in patients with T2DM in comparison to nondiabetic subjects. In patients with cardiovascular diseases, such as peripheral arterial disease, T2DM is associated with a worse clinical and functional profile.
Heart failure (HF) has been shown to be a frequent cardiovascular complication in T2DM patients. There is a high number of T2DM in patients with the two most common forms of HF: impaired systolic left ventricular function and HF with preserved ejection fraction. Patients with T2DM have a high risk to develop HF, and T2DM patients with HF have a mortality rate four times greater than T2DM patients without HF., Therefore, T2DM has been recognized as an independent risk factor for HF leading to the establishment of the term ‘diabetic cardiomyopathy’, that is defined as a myocardial disease in T2DM patients, not related to hypertension, coronary artery disease or other cardiac diseases.,
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