Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is independent risk factors for micro and macrovascular disease. So, it has been associated with abnormalities of cardiac function and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Type 2 diabetic individuals, particularly obese women, had higher heart rates, greater left ventricular wall thicknesses and greater cardiac mass than subjects without diabetes. The objective of the present study was to investigate association between waist circumference–body mass index (BMI) and left ventricle mass (LVM)-left ventricle mass index (LVMI) in patients with type 2 DM and without known cardiac disease.

Methods: The study group comprised of 65 patients, 22 men and 43 women with mean age 58.6±10.09, with type 2 diabetes. Patients with presence of renal failure or heart failure of any stage, known cardiac diseases, pulmonary diseases, anemia, were excluded. DM was defined by fasting plasma glucose levels 126 mg/dl or by specific treatment. BMI was calculated by standard formula and abdominal circumference was measured. Two-dimensional echocardiograms of the LV were performed. LVM was calculated by the formula introduced by Devereux and Reicheck and was indexed for body surface area to obtain LVMI. LVH was diagnosed when LVMI was >134 g/m² in men and >110 g/m² in women.

Results: In all patients, there were significant correlation between abdominal circumference and LVM; between BMI and LVM; between BMI and LVMI. According to sex, were significant relations between BMI and LVM (P: 0.03), BMI and LVMI (P: 0.007), only in woman. These parameters were not associated in men.

Conclusion: In diabetic patients, high BMI and abdominal circumference were associated with increasing LVM and LVMI, especially in women. So, in obese diabetics these parameters are important risk factors, for heart disease.

Keywords: diabetes, hypertrophy, left ventricle, BMI, risk factors.