Diabetic cardiomyopathy: current views on the diagnosis and treatment

Nowadays, advances in technology and the associated increase in the standard of living has lead to a decrease in physical activity and the consumption of processed, high salt foods. As a result, there has been an increase of civilization diseases. Morbidity related to obesity, vascular hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic heart failure and neoplasma has increased in the population. Type I or type II diabetes mellitus leads to congestive heart failure and inversely, primary heart failure leads to insulin resistance and finally to the development of the type II diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus along with metabolic disorders contribute to the damage of the majority of organs. Dynamic energetic reactions taking place in the myocardium are disordered. The main source of energy for a cardiomyocyte changes from glucose to free fatty acids (FFA). FFAs start a cascade of processes that damage the myocardium. The result is diabetic cardiomyopathy. Diabetic cardiomyopathy, along with hypertension and coronary artery disease constitute a “cardiotoxic triad”. All the diseases, independently, influence anatomy, function and biochemistry of cardiomyocytes [1]. Patients with an early diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, as well as of asymptomatic heart failure, adequate control of glycaemia and an early application of pharmacoteraphy can reduce unfavourable cardiac remodeling and decrease the progression of myocardial disorder [1]. The definition of diabetic cardiomyopathy