Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: Current Approach and Potential Diagnostic and Therapeutic Targets

• Published in: Journal of Diabetes Research Vol. 2017; pp. 1310265 - 7
• Main Authors: Gilca, Georgiana-Emmanuela, Stefanescu, Gabriela, Badulescu, Oana, Tanase, Daniela-Maria, Bararu, Iris, Ciocoiu, Manuela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Hindawi 01.01.2017; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Calcium - metabolism; Cardiac function; Cardiomyocytes; Cardiomyopathy; Cardiovascular disease; Care and treatment; Classification; Coronary vessels; Development and progression; Diabetes; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies - diagnosis; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies - drug therapy; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies - metabolism; Diagnosis; Diastole; Echocardiography, Doppler; Ejection fraction; Exercise Test; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified - metabolism; Glucose; Health aspects; Heart diseases; Heart failure; Humans; Hypertension; Insulin resistance; Kinases; Lipids; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Medical diagnosis; Metabolism; MicroRNAs - metabolism; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Patients; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex - metabolism; Proteins; Review; Serology; Ubiquitination; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - diagnosis; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - drug therapy; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - metabolism
• ISSN: 2314-6745; 2314-6753
• DOI: 10.1155/2017/1310265

Although ischemic heart disease is the major cause of death in diabetic patients, diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is increasingly recognized as a clinically relevant entity. Considering that it comprises a variety of mechanisms and effects on cardiac function, increasing the risk of heart failure and worsening the prognosis of this patient category, DCM represents an important complication of diabetes mellitus, with a silent development in its earlier stages, involving intricate pathophysiological mechanisms, including oxidative stress, defective calcium handling, altered mitochondrial function, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, and consequent deficient cardiomyocyte contractility. While DCM is common in diabetic asymptomatic patients, it is frequently underdiagnosed, due to few diagnostic possibilities in its early stages. Moreover, since a strategy for prevention and treatment in order to improve the prognosis of DCM has not been established, it is important to identify clear pathophysiological landmarks, to pinpoint the available diagnostic possibilities and to spot potential therapeutic targets.