Exercise Treadmill Test in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

There is a concern regarding the high incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 since it is a leading cause of mortality in those patients. Exercise treadmill test (ETT) is proposed as a suitable, non-invasive method for identifying asymptomatic patients with ischemic changes, who would benefit from pharmacological treatment, thus contributing to a reduction of adverse cardiovascular events. Therefore the objective of our study was to evaluate myocardial ischemia in asymptomatic patients with DM type 2 by performing ETT. The present investigation was conducted in Health Center Pozega during the year 2018. 40 insulin-dependent, aged 33.05 ± 2.01 years, with DM type 2 were included in the study. They had nor history nor symptoms of cardiac disease. All patients underwent ETT according to Bruce protocol, while 12-lead ECG was recorded and blood pressure was monitored. All patients had negative ETT results. Also no ST segment depression, no signs of insufficiency of peripheral circulation, no changes in heart rhythm, no symptoms by the central nervous system were observed. Additionally response of heart rate and blood pressure to exercise was within physiological range. These promising findings indicate that diabetes didn’t alter myocardial integrity and function, thus suggesting that coronary reserve in examined patients was preserved.