The Association between Left Ventricular Myocardial Strains and Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease in a Population with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Primary Controlled Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Cardiovascular complications are the primary reason for death in diabetic patients. Speckle tracking echocardiography is the method that can detect heart systolic dysfunction in the preclinical stage, even when the ejection fraction is normal range. This study aims to evaluate left ventricular myocardial strain parameters using the speckle tracking echocardiography method and to investigate the relationship between these parameters and cardiovascular risk factors in populations with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Method: A controlled cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 75 people who have suffered type 2 diabetes mellitus and 75 controls. Participants in the study must satisfy the inclusion and exclusion criteria to be invited. They will be interviewed to take history, do clinical examinations, and do laboratory tests, and echocardiography. All data recorded on the data collection form was coded. Results: The group of T2DM had a global longitudinal strain (-17.02±3.06%) and global circumferential strain (-29.04±6.39%) that were lower significantly than the controls. The global longitudinal strain had a positively significant correlation with values of blood pressure (r=0.3 for systolic and r=0.2 for diastolic), HbA1c (r=0.2), fasting plasma glucose (r=0.5), and total cholesterol (r=-0.25). The study also recorded there was a statistically significant correlation between global circumferential strain and values of blood pressure values (r=0.3 for systolic and r=0.2 for diastolic), and HDL (r=-0.3). Conclusion: Both the global circumferential and global longitudinal strain have been reduced in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The reduction of global longitudinal strain and global circumferential strain has been correlated with cardiovascular risk factors (i.e. hypertension, poor glycemic control, increased BMI, and dyslipidemia).