Study could help to reduce diabetics’ heart failure risk

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TACKLING small “impairments” in the hearts of people with type two diabetes could help improve fitness levels and cut the risk of disease, researchers say.

A team from Leicester found adults with the condition who have no history, signs or symptoms of heart problems have been shown to have severely limited exercise capacity.

The researchers from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

Leicester Biomedical Research Centre said such limitations place them at impending risk of heart failure.

The study looked at the hearts of 247 people who had been diagnosed with type two diabetes between twoand-a-half and 10 years ago.

Using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound, the researchers spotted subtle impairments in the blood flow to the heart muscle and in the ability of the heart to fill with, and around, the body.

Participants also had their fitness levels measured.

Dr Gaurav Gulsin, British Heart Foundation clinical research training fellow at the University of Leicester and lead for the study, said: “Our results showed that even when factoring in age, sex, ethnicity and smoking status, subtle heart impairments contributed to strikingly poor circulate blood fitness in the volunteers with type two diabetes. This suggests that early heart disease is already present in this population, despite the absence of clinical indicators, such as angina and shortness of breath.”

Professor Gerry McCann, professor of cardiac imaging, said: “If we can target these subtle heart impairments with treatments to increase blood supply to the heart, we may help to improve fitness levels and reduce the risk of heart failure people with type two diabetes.

“We’re now keen to explore such different treatment options to see which, if any, provide the best health outcomes for patients.”

While a close association has been found between changes in the heart’s blood supply and filling ability with exercise capacity, more research is needed to understand whether one causes the other. in