Prevalence and Determinants of Subclinical Cardiovascular Dysfunction in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Heart failure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes mellitus, but its pathophysiology is poorly understood. Aim: To determine the prevalence and determinants of subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Plan: 518 asymptomatic adults (aged 18-75 years) with T2D will undergo comprehensive evaluation of cardiac structure and function using cardiac MRI (CMR) and spectroscopy, echocardiography, CT coronary calcium scoring, exercise tolerance testing and blood sampling. 75 controls will undergo the same evaluation. Primary hypothesis: myocardial steatosis is an independent predictor of left ventricular global longitudinal strain. Secondary hypotheses: will assess whether CMR is more sensitive to detect early cardiac dysfunction than echocardiography and BNP, and whether cardiac dysfunction is related to peak oxygen consumption. Expected value of results: This study will reveal the prevalence and determinants of cardiac dysfunction in T2D, and could provide targets for novel therapies.