ABSTRACT Background and objective:
Diabetes Mellitus is the most prevalent metabolic disease in the worlds so that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is the latent epidemic disease. Type 2 DM patients are susceptible to left ventricle (LV) dysfunction and heart failure. The symptoms associated with LV dysfunction, especially in early stages, may be at the minimum level so that they can be attributed to other non-heart factors. The aim of this study is to evaluate sub-clinical LV dysfunction and relevant intensifying factors in type 2 DM patients. Method of study: This is a descriptive-analytical study (cross-sectional) study conducted on 107 type 2 DM patients with normal heart function according to previous echocardiography and electrocardiography reports. The demographic information of cases was first recorded and paraclinical evaluation results were collected. Then, LV function was measured using strain echocardiography with speckle method and the correlation of global longitudinal strain (GLS) results with demographic information and paraclinical test results was assessed. Results: The evaluation of the correlation of demographic features as well as paraclinical test results with the prevalence of sub-clinical LV dysfunction and global longitudinal strain in type 2 DM patients revealed that, the correlation of HbA1c>8% (p=0.004) and systolic blood pressure >160mmhg (p=0.007) with the prevalence of sub-clinical LV dysfunction is significant. This study show some relation but without significance between years of diabetes (in group of more than 10 years), BMI>35 and chronic alcohol user with GLS. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that researchers should pay more attention to cardiovascular disorders in the process of treating type 2 DM patients with and inappropriate blood sugar control and blood pressure control. They should pay more attention to echocardiography with newer methods such as speckle strain echocardiography in order to early diagnose of heart disorders in this group of patients.