Right ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic diabetic patients.

D iabetes is thoroughly evidenced to increase the risk of development of heart failure even in the absence of frequently coexisting comorbidities such as coronary artery disease and hypertension. Cardiac adverse effects influenced by diabetes have been demonstrated thus far for the left ventricle, particularly systolic and diastolic dysfunction identified at rest (1–9) and/or during exercise (10–11). To date, no information is available regarding the possible involvement of the right ventricle in the pathological process evoked by diabetes. In clinical practice, right ventricular dysfunction is relevant in a variety of disease states affecting both the course and prognosis (12–16), and therefore one may assume that right ventricular performance is also an important issue in diabetic patients. The objective of the present study was to assess right ventricular systolic and diastolic function using conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in diabetic patients without coronary artery disease and with and without coexisting hypertension.