Assessment of Left Arterial Function by using 2-Dimensional Speckle Tracking in Obese versus Non-Obese Diabetic Patients

Both obesity and diabetes are major problems for the public's health. Both are known to contribute to the development of atrial cardiomyopathy. However, the consequences of obesity on the function of the left atrium(LA) in diabetic individuals have not been determined as of yet. The aim of this study is to compare the peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) measured by two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking in obese versus non-obese diabetic Iraqi patients. For a study that was designed to be cross-sectional, the data collection period lasted for a total of ten months. In this study, the participants had to have diabetes mellitus type 2. A comparison was made between patients who were obese and patients who were not obese using 2-D speckle tracking to measure the peak left atrial longitudinal strain. Several additional factors, such as age, gender, body mass index, conventional echocardiographic parameters, and volume-derived LA function, were investigated during this study. A total of 59 patients participated in this study. The ratio of males to females was exactly 1:1.5, and the average age was (54 ± 9.4) years old. Coexistent systemic arterial hypertension was observed in 25 % of the study population. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity had ad higher E/e` ratio and lower PALS than patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without obesity, whereas all other parameters were statistically non-significant (EF, E/A, S prime, LA volume index). It was found that the peak longitudinal strain of the LA, which was measured using 2-D speckle tracking, was lower in the obese diabetic individuals. This was in contrast to diabetic people, who did not have obesity issues. An evaluation of the global strain in the left atrium can help in the early detection of remodeling and dysfunction in the left atrium if it is compared to the size of the left atrium and the filling pressures of the left ventricle, both of which are respectively determined by the E/e' ratio and the left atrial volume.