Background: Natriuretic peptide (NP) levels have been proposed for characterization and risk stratification of heart failure (HF) among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, their role in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) has not been well studied and understood. The aim of this study was to assess phenotypical, functional characteristics and imaging parameters in relation to N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) values in T2DM patients without known CVD that may predispose to overt HF. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 100 consecutive T2DM patients (mean overall age of 67 ± 9 years, 40% women and 60% men) who were enrolled from the outpatient diabetic clinic. Patients underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), and echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR); serum NT-proBNP was also measured. Results: The mean (standard deviation) NT-proBNP was 149 (±186) pg/mL. Patients in the highest tertile of NT-proBNP values (>107 pg/mL) had lower values of predicted maximum oxygen consumption compared to the lowest quartile (<55 pg/mL) (84% vs. 92%, p = 0.018) in the CPET and higher ratio of early diastolic mitral inflow velocity to early diastolic mitral annulus velocity (E/e′) (9.0 vs. 7.2, p = 0.05) in echocardiography. Finally, there was a negative correlation between right ventricle end diastolic volume in CMR and predicted maximum oxygen consumption (b = −0.225 ± 0.11, p = 0.046). Conclusions: NT-proBNP levels seemed to be a useful marker in people with T2DM, as elevated levels reflected ongoing appearance of HF with preserved ejection fraction and were related to CPET and echocardiographic indices of impaired left ventricular diastolic and right ventricular systolic function.

The mechanisms leading to the development of heart failure (HF) in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients are multifactorial. Assessing the risk of HF development in patients with DM is valuable not only for the identification of a high-risk subgroup, but also equally important for defining low-risk subpopulations. Nowadays, DM and HF have been recognized as sharing similar metabolic pathways. Moreover, the clinical manifestation of HF can be independent of LVEF classification. Consequently, approaching HF should be through structural, hemodynamic and functional evaluation. Thus, both imaging parameters and biomarkers are important tools for the recognition of diabetic patients at risk of HF manifestation and HF phenotypes, and arrhythmogenic risk, and eventually for prognosis, aiming to improve patients’ outcomes utilizing drugs and non-pharmaceutical cardioprotective tools such as diet modification.

Hypoglycaemia in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) remains a major clinical burden and, beyond its metabolic complications, can cause serious cardiac arrhythmias. Multiple mechanisms lead to different types of arrhythmias during hypoglycaemia. However, existing studies often involve mixed diabetes populations, small cohorts, or limited monitoring during nocturnal periods, leaving a critical gap in understanding the links between glucose fluctuations and arrhythmic events. This review provides an updated combination of experimental and clinical evidence describing how autonomic dysfunction and ionic imbalances lead to electrophysiological instability and structural remodelling of the myocardium during hypoglycaemia. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) combined with electrocardiographic or wearable rhythm tracking may enable early detection of glycemic and cardiac disturbances and help identify high-risk individuals. Future prospective studies using combined CGM–ECG monitoring, particularly during sleep, are essential to clarify the relationship between hypoglycaemia and arrhythmic events.

Long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). We estimated the prevalence of undiagnosed CCS during routine outpatient care and described diagnostic testing strategies. This multicenter observational study was conducted in eight diabetes and cardiology outpatient clinics in Greece. Adults with DM ≥10 years and suspected ischemia [angina equivalents and/or ischemic electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities] without known CCS underwent joint diabetologist-cardiologist evaluation and appropriate non-invasive and/or invasive testing at physician discretion. Overall, 110 people with type 2 DM (mean age 65.4 years; 47.3% women; mean DM duration 21.3 years) were evaluated. CCS was diagnosed in 15 individuals (13.6%). No patient with CCS reported typical or atypical angina; presentations were mainly angina equivalents, most commonly fatigue (66.7%) and dyspnea (58.3%). Ischemic ECG abnormalities were present in 6/15 (40.0%), including repolarization or conduction changes. Initial tests varied: exercise ECG (33.6%), SPECT/PET (32.7%), and stress echocardiography (28.2%). This study highlights the diagnostic complexity of detecting CCS in individuals with type 2 DM, particularly due to the prevalence of non-classical symptoms. The findings underscore the importance of a personalized diagnostic approach and multidisciplinary collaboration between diabetologists and cardiologists, to improve cardiovascular risk stratification.