Diabetische Kardiomyopathie – eine lang währende und ernstzunehmende Erkrankung

Being independent of coronary artery disease and hypertension, diabetic cardiomyopathy is a distinct primary disease process, which precedes the development of congestive heart failure. Epidemiologic as well as clinical studies confirmed the close link between diabetes mellitus and heart failure. Altered cardiac structure and function are common diagnoses in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemia leading to the formation of advanced glycation end products and hyperlipidemia resulting in lipotoxicity are of structural and functional impact on cardiac muscle and cardiomyocytes. New and more sensitive methods of diagnosis identify early diastolic dysfunction as a precursor of the development of congestive heart failure. This review focuses on the mechanistic approach to understand the molecular basis of diabetic cardiomyopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.