Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, obesity is seriously increasing in most of the populations all over the world, and is associated with the development and progression of high-mortality diseases, such as type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its subsequent cardiovascular pathologies. In this sense, diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a cardiac dysfunction, which affects approximately 12% of diabetic patients, leading to overt heart failure and death. DCM is defined by functional and structural changes at the myocardium, independent of any vascular or cardiac disease. However, there is not an efficient and specific methodology for DCM diagnosis, possibly because molecular mechanisms are not fully elucidated, and it remains asymptomatic for many years. In addition, DCM frequently coexists with other comorbidities such as hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and vasculopathies. In this regard, besides imaging techniques, quantification of specific plasma biomarkers related to initial responses, such as cardiac hypertrophy, stiffness and steatosis, may be convenient. In addition, the rising prevalence and accumulating costs of cardiovascular disease in obese and T2DM patients underscore the deficiencies of tertiary prevention and call for a shift in medical treatment. Effective prevention and treatment of DCM may require measures to regulate the metabolic derangement occurring in the heart, rather than merely restoring suitable systemic parameters. Recent research has provided deeper insight into the metabolic etiology of DCM and numerous heart-specific targets that may substitute or reinforce current strategies. Thus, efforts must focus on the need for prospective metabolic targets that may avert myocardial vulnerability and functional decline in next-generation diabetic care.

Dr. Óscar Lorenzo González
Guest Editor

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• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Cardiomyopathy
• Mitochondria Dysfunction
• Cardiac Metabolism
• Diagnosis
• Prognosis
• Biomarkers
• Incretin
• Metformin