Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of diseases characterised by metabolic disturbances with increasing prevalence worldwide.1 Individuals with DM present several detrimental micro- and macrovascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.2,3 Accordingly, efforts for early diagnosis and appropriate management are of ultimate importance.
Despite the emphasis by clinicians in the prompt control of DM several cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, etc., have been linked to impaired glucose management.4 Recently, the awareness in the scientific community of the two-way association between DM and heart failure (HF) has steadily increased and has gained research interest.
HF is a syndrome with a complex pathophysiology, several aetiologies and different clinical presentations characterised by high morbidity and mortality.5–7 According to some reports the co-existence of HF and DM is as high as almost 40 %,8 growing the necessity for more in-depth understanding of the common pathophysiological pathways and for effective management of both entities.
As several missing links still exist in the connection between HF and DM we review in this article the most recent data underlying the interaction between them and provide an overview of the most important clinical perspectives.