Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: A Forensic Perspective. Issue 2 (June 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McGuire, Angela R.; Gill, James R.
• Is Part Of: Academic forensic pathology. Volume 6:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 191
• Page End: 197
• Publication Date: 2016-06
• Subjects: Forensic pathology -- Diabetes mellitus -- Cardiomyopathy -- Cardiovascular disease -- Cardiac hypertrophy; Forensic pathology -- Periodicals; Forensic pathology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 614.1
• DOI: 10.23907/2016.021
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1925-3621

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a common condition affecting both adults and children. Long-standing diabetes is associated with cardiovascular abnormalities such as coronary artery atherosclerosis, microvascular changes, hypertension, kidney disease, and heart failure. Its association with heart failure in the absence of coronary artery disease and hypertension was termed diabetic cardiomyopathy in the 1970s and is believed to account for some of the cardiac mortality in diabetic patients. This entity may be implicated as the cause of sudden cardiac death in the small percentage of diabetic patients in which the autopsy fails to demonstrate evidence of nonketotic hyperosmolar coma, diabetic ketoacidosis, or atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Molecular and metabolic alterations have been studied to explain the pathophysiology of this disease.