Association between Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Failure

Heart failure is a major and growing public health issue. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the association between diabetes mellitus and heart failure. Methods: In this study 150 (78 males and 72 females) participants of Libyan attended Emergency department and Intensive Care in Tajoura National Heart Center and Tripoli Medical Center, were selected during the period from 4/2013 to 11/2013, with diagnosis of heart attack and their age range from 30-80 years old. Results: In the present study the prevalence of heart failure increased by increasing age and is more common in patients with age range 61-70 years old in both males and female patients. Also the percentage of diabetic patients with heart attack, whatever males or females is significantly higher than non diabetic patients. This indicates very strong relation of diabetes with heart attack. The relation between heart attack development and hypertension in diabetic female patients was clear. On contrast to the results obtained with female patients; the number of male patients with heart attack and suffering from hypertension is slightly less than male patients with normal blood pressure. Concerning the lipid profile of patients under investigation, the result showed that high percentages of diabetic patients with heart attack, having normal lipid profile were encountered in this study. This means that serum cholesterol and triglycerides levels do not discriminate well between individuals with and without heart attack in case of diabetic patients. Conclusion: Heart failure in diabetic patients is an important health problem and the results of this study firmly established the epidemiologic link between diabetes and heart failure. The risk of heart failure was increased approximately 6-fold in men and fourfold in women. There is well association between diabetes and heart failure that is linked at least in part to hypertension as in some cases of female patients. We can conclude that diabetes predicted heart failure independent of coexisting hypertension or coronary disease. Also we have to concentrate on the third possible mechanism that link diabetes mellitus to heart failure development in which diabetes may cause a cardiomyopathy.