Nature and prognostic importance of abnormal glucose tolerance and diabetes in acute heart failure

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the nature and importance of blood glucose abnormalities in an unselected heart failure (HF) population. Design: Cohort study. Setting: Urban University hospital. Patients: All index emergency HF admissions to one University hospital during the year 2000 were studied. Results: 454 consecutive index admissions had blood chemistry, diabetic status and follow-up information recorded. 390 (86%) patients had an echocardiogram, of whom 117 (30%) had preserved left ventricular systolic function and 110 (24%) had diabetes. Sixty (13%) patients had abnormal glucose tolerance (8.0–10.99 mmol/l), and 284 (63%) patients had a normal admission blood glucose (Conclusions: Admission blood glucose concentration and diabetes are prognostically important in HF and could help target some patients for more intensive therapy.