Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias and associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Morocco

The frequency of diabetes is more and more important in developed countries but also in developing ones. Diabetes remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Cardiac involvement is mainly represented by coronary artery disease, heart failure but also cardiac arrhythmias. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of different types of arrhythmias in type 2 diabetic patients in our Moroccan context and detect the main risk factors involved. A cross-sectional study including 172 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was carried out in our hospital for 2 years. Careful questioning, physical examination, ECG, 24 hours ECG holter, and echocardiography were performed. The mean age was 58.8 (45–72) years with a 1:2 M/F sex ratio. The average duration of diabetes is 13.5 ± 6.7 years. Twenty-three percent of diabetic patients had arrhythmias. Sinus tachycardia was the most common with a percentage of 34%. Other frequent arrhythmias are supraventricular extrasystoles (21%), incomplete bundle branch block (14%), atrial fibrillation (12%) followed by ventricular extrasystoles (12%). There was a significant relationship between the pre-occurrence of the arrhythmia, the duration of diabetes > 5 years, the level of glycated hemoglobin > 8.5%, and the level of C reactive peptide. The impact of diabetes on the electrical conduction of the heart is becoming increasingly apparent. The effectiveness of diabetes therapies in preventing cardiac arrhythmias is unclear. More research is needed to fully elucidate the relationship between diabetes and arrhythmias in the hopes of developing improved treatment strategies in the future.