RESUMO
Doppler-echocardiography was used to detect left ventricular diastolic function indices in insulin dependent diabetics in the absence of clinical manifestation of ischemic heart disease. 52 patients were selected from the outpatient clinic of diabetes after applying exclusion criteria for cardiac and other systemic diseases. They were classified according to the duration of the diseases into insulin dependent diabetics of less than 5 years group A, [27] patients with mean age 25.9 +/- 8.7] and those of more than 5 years duration, group B [25 patients with mean age 43.3 +/- 9.5]. The data were compared with 12 healthy subjects of comparable age and sex, group C. The most frequent diastolic function indices abnormalities were prolongation of [IVRT], diminution of [PEVF] and [EF] slope, prolongation of [PFVA], decreased E/A ratio and increased [A] integral and total integral [A%]. Changes in [D.E/R.R.] were insignificant. These changes were correlated more to the duration but not to the severity of diabetes. Doppler- echocardiography may offer a reliable noninvasive means to assess diastolic function and to detect early abnormalities before the appearance of clinical symptoms in insulin dependent diabetics