In order to evaluate the factor precipitating chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) in diabetics, we compared the clinical charactaristics of 26 cardiomegalic diabetics with CHF (CHF group) with those of 30 cardiomegalic diabetics without CHF (CM group) among 606 diabetic patients who were admitted to the hospital of Shiga University of Medical Science.
There was no difference in age, duration of diabetes, body mass index, or fasting plasma glucose and serum cholesterol levels between the 2 groups.
However the CHF group had a significantly (p<0.005) higher (62%) frequency of nephropathy with increasing serum creatinine level (1.8±0.3mg/dl) and urinary protein excretion (2.6±1.2g/day) than the CM group. Furthemore the CHF group had a significantly (p<0.005) higher frequency of anemia and hypoproteinemia than the CM group.
The prevalence of CHF in female diabetics (7.4%) was 4.1-fold greater (p<0.005) than that in male diabetics (1.8%). The specific factor precipitating CHF in female diabetics is still unknown.