Role of Serum IGFBP-7 for Diagnosis of Cardiomyopathy in Diabetic Patients vs Healthy Individuals

Abstract Background Among the general adult population, it has been estimated that the prevalence of heart failure in diabetic patients ranges from 19% to 26%. Aim of the Work This study aims to assess the role of the serum level of IGFBP-7 as a potential biomarker for diagnosis of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy and cardiac fibrosis. Patients and Methods Our study was a case control study, conducted on 75 patients of matched age and sex attending Diabetes, Internal Medicine and Cardiology outpatient clinics at Ain Shams university hospital during the period from March 2023 to July 2023. 25 were medically free individuals and they made the control group. As regards the cases group it was divided into further 2 groups where 25 were diabetic patients with normal echo and the remaining 25 patients were diabetic patients with cardiomyopathy. Results Our study strongly supports that IGFBP-7 as a biomarker is sensitive enough to detect diabetic cardiomyopathy. BMI was highly significant when compared between diabetic cardiomyopathy and normal Echo and diabetic cardiomyopathy and control group. Linking the correlation between IGFBP-7 and metabolic syndrome. In our study HbA1c was found non-significant between diabetic cardiomyopathy and diabetic normal Echo. Raising the suspicion of correlation between glycemic control and development of Heart Failure. In this study, certain lab parameters such as serum Cr and lipid profile were associated with positive statistical significance in patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy linking the association of diabetic cardiomyopathy with other chronic illnesses such as chronic kidney disease and atherosclerotic diseases. Conclusion Our study focused on IGFBP-7 levels to detect the diabetes-induced changes in cardiac structure and function existing at the early stage of DCM, and progression of DCM from subclinical diastolic dysfunction to overt HF. With specificity 100% and sensitivity 68% between diabetic cardiomyopathy and diabetic normal echo. Moreover; with sensitivity 100% and specificity 84% between diabetic normal echo and controls.