Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has gone beyond the professional interests of one specialty. T2DM, cardiovascular (CV) diseases and chronic kidney disease, considered from the standpoint of a single cardio-reno-metabolic continuum, place a heavy economic burden on society. At the same time, the improvement of diagnostic methods and medical technologies led to distinct decrease in the frequency and mortality from a number of complications of T2DM, including myocardial infarction and stroke, but other states took their place. Thus, heart failure (HF) has taken the position of one of the most frequent complications with average prevalence of 24–40 % and significant predominance of HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). According to this paradigm, HFpEF is not a disease of diastolic dysfunction, but a systemic disease, the central element of which is impaired renal function. All this together has a potential value for choosing the optimal therapy. In recent years the results of specially designed studies assessing the CV-safety of antidiabetic drugs from the groups of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors, glucagon-like preptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium – glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have become known. These drugs, except for SGLT2 inhibitors, by their mechanism of action affecting insulin resistance and hyperglycemia, demonstrated neutral or negative result on the frequency of hospitalizations due to HF. The EMPA-REG OUTCOME study with SGLT2, which has a special insulin-independent mechanism of action, demonstrated not only the efficacy and CV-safety of the drug in the form of a decrease in CV mortality by 38 %, but also a decrease in hospitalizations for HF by 35 %. Further studies with SGLT2 inhibitors confirmed positive effect on HF, indicating a class effect of the drugs. The recently completed study DECLARE-TIMI 58 proved the advantages of using dapagliflozin for the primary and secondary prevention of HF. This review highlights the prevalence of HF in diabetes mellitus, a new concept of the pathophysiology of HF, the main groups of sugar-lowering drugs and their effect on CV outcomes, in particular on HF.

Patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), despite optimal evidence-based treatment, have a high residual risk of adverse outcomes. The favorable results of studies on cardiovascular safety and the effectiveness of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), including outcomes associated with heart failure, were the reason for studying the effectiveness in patients with HFrEF regardless of the T2D status. For the first time in the DAPA-HF study, the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin in patients with HFrEF showed a positive effect on hard endpoints. Data of the secondary analysis confirmed the effectiveness of dapagliflozin regardless of the T2D status, therapy, age, and quality of life. The results of DAPA-HF have become a serious statement for changing the standards of the guideline-recommended therapy of HFrEF.

The coexistence of heart failure (HF) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is common and poses a serious threat to human health because these diseases have a high degree of commonality at the vascular level. However, the diagnosis of HF in primary care can be challenging, leading to the risk of inadequate management of both conditions. Using two case reports as examples, we attempt to shed light on the issues involved in this challenge. In the first case presentation, a 62-year-old male patient with T2DM and dyspnea was initially diagnosed with HF during primary care. However, further workup revealed that the actual cause of the patient’s breathlessness was the exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the second case, a 59-year-old woman with T2DM and obesity complained of leg swelling that was attributed to chronic venous insufficiency by a primary care physician. A correct diagnosis of HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) was made using N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and echocardiography. Due to diabetic vasculopathy HF is more likely to progress with a preserved ejection fraction. In addition, symptoms of COPD or obesity may overlap with or mask symptoms of HFpEF. The issues of over- and misdiagnosis of HFpEF in primary care are discussed in our review, which emphasizes the nonspecific nature of symptoms, such as breathlessness and leg edema in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is of utmost importance for healthcare providers to be aware of unusual manifestations of heart failure and, vice versa, of diseases that masquerade as heart failure. This will enable them to manage risks in these patients with greater consistency.

Background: Poor sleep quality is an increasingly recognized, modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, yet data among patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD) in Central Asia are scarce. We estimated the prevalence of poor sleep quality and identified its correlates in a Kazakhstani CHD population. Methods: In this multi-center cross-sectional study, 398 patients 6–24 months after an index coronary event were assessed for sleep quality. Sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI; >5 = poor). Anxiety and depression, physical activity, cognition, and clinical and socio-demographic variables were recorded. Associations were examined using logistic regression with subgroup and interaction analyses. Results: Poor sleep quality was reported by 147 patients (36.9%). In the adjusted model, anxiety was the only independent factor associated with poor sleep (OR 1.88, 95% CI: 1.10 to 3.23). The subgroup analysis suggested anxiety (OR 3.94) and lower education (OR 2.58) as correlates in women, whereas retirement (OR 2.27) and low physical activity (OR 2.31) were linked to poor sleep in men. A significant sex–anxiety interaction demonstrated a weaker anxiety effect in men. Conclusions: More than one-third of CHD patients reported poor sleep quality, driven primarily by anxiety, with distinct sex- and age-specific determinants. Sleep and psychological screening should be integrated into secondary prevention, with personalized approaches.