Diabetic heart disease--current problems and their management.

Diabetic heart disease (DHD) is one of the most important contemporary management problems confronting the entire diabetic management team. DHD is multifactorial and multifaceted. The three major problems are: coronary artery disease (CAD), autonomic cardiac denervation and a specific heart muscle disease in diabetes (diabetic cardiomyopathy). Various other ancillary problems include obesity, hypertension, lipid aberrations and rheological alterations etc. CAD and diabetes mellitus (DM) have a greater association; the disease is more severe, sets in early and has many atypical features including painless, silent onset, delayed arrival at intensive coronary care unit, increased incidence of pump failure and arrhythmias and high case fatality rate. Autonomic cardiac denervation is an important and a common companion of diabetic peripheral neuropathy and has serious repercussions in DHD. Simple, sensitive screening tests may identify such a group so as to exercise caution in management. Various clinical (non-invasive, invasive and autopsy) and experimental studies provide evidence for the existence of a specific diabetic heart muscle disease comprising of small vessel disease and metabolic aberrations. Recent advances in literature and our own experience are reviewed. The practical management aspects of each facet, such as maintenance of high index of suspicion, early diagnosis and referral, close monitoring, role of rigid blood glucose control and specific role of each member of the diabetic team is outlined. The possible preventative strategies are discussed.