Can glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) be used as a predictor of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in non-hypertensive patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study at a tertiary care centre in Eastern India.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to establish the association between glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in non-hypertensive patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and determine the cut-off value of HbA1c for detecting LVDD.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

SETTING: This study was conducted in General Medicine Department in collaboration with the Cardiology Department at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna.

PARTICIPANTS: The study population comprised patients with newly diagnosed type 2 DM within the past 3 months, aged between 18 years and 80 years, who were not hypertensive and without any systemic diseases and who presented to the General Medicine Department.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The presence of LVDD was the primary outcome measure.

RESULTS: Among the total of 60 participants, it was observed that age (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.169, 95% CI: 1.066 to 1.283) and HbA1c (AOR: 2.625, 95% CI: 1.264 to 5.450) were found to be independent predictors for the presence of LVDD. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified a cut-off value of HbA1c at 9.5% (80 mmol/mol) for detecting LVDD, with a specificity of 96.43%, a sensitivity of 37.5% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 91.62%.

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that age and HbA1c levels are independent predictors of LVDD in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 DM without hypertension. A cut-off value of 9.5% for HbA1c was identified with a high specificity and PPV for predicting LVDD in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. This underscores the importance of conducting echocardiography in patients with newly diagnosed asymptomatic type 2 diabetes with HbA1c 9.5% or more to assess LVDD, allowing for prompt interventions if necessary and to decelerate the progression towards heart failure.