Diabetic cardiomyopathy and diastolic heart failure

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a distinct condition with a pathogenesis that is independent from coronary artery disease and can lead to heart failure in diabetic patients. In some patients, diastolic dysfunction may progress to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and results in systolic heart failure. Since DCM is highly prevalent in the asymptomatic diabetic patients, screening for its presence and the diagnosis of functional myocardial abnormalities (echocardiography and other cardiac imaging techniques) in diabetic populations can have a favorable impact on the progression to chronic heart failure.