Assessment of left atrial function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with a disease duration of six months.

INTRODUCTION: Changes in left atrial (LA) size and function are associated with adverse clinical events. Recently, duration of diabetes mellitus (DM2) has been found to be positively associated with increased LA volume and impaired LA function. This study was performed, using two-dimensional echocardiograpy, to evaluate the changes in LA volume and function in patients with DM2 with a disease duration of six months, and to assess the parameters that affect LA volume and function.

METHODS: Fifty-six patients (28 male, age: 52.6 ± 6.5 years) with DM2 and 56 controls (24 male; age: 50.1 ± 7.0 years) were enrolled in the study. Each subject underwent conventional two-dimensional echocardiography to assess LA volume (indexed maximal LA volume: Vmax , pre-atrial contraction volume: Volp , minimal LA volume: Vmin ) and LA function [passive emptying volume - passive emptying fraction (PEV - PEF), active emptying volume - active emptying fraction (AEV - AEF), total emptying volume - total emptying fraction (TEV - TEF) ].

RESULTS: LA diameter, indexed Vmax , Volp , Vmin , AEV and TEV were found to be significantly higher in the DM2 group compared with the controls (p < 0.05). Indexed Vmax , Volp and Vmin were significantly correlated with HbA1c level, body mass index (BMI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and uric acid levels, mitral A wave, E/E' ratio and A' wave. According to multivariate analysis, age and BMI had a statistically significant effect on LA volume.

CONCLUSION: Impaired LA function may be present in patients with newly diagnosed DM2. BMI and increasing age caused LA enlargement and LA volumes that were independent of the effects of hypertension and DM2.