Glycemic control and treatment patterns in patients with heart failure.

Diabetes mellitus and heart failure frequently coexist and often lead to poor prognosis. However, data regarding glycemic control and treatment patterns in heart failure are sparse, partly because clinical studies specifically targeting diabetic heart failure patients are lacking. In registry data, although patients with heart failure often have poor glycemic control, almost all hypoglycemic drug classes have safety concerns regarding use in the setting of heart failure. Furthermore, there is a poor understanding of the relative contributions of glucose and fatty acids to the metabolism of the failing heart and a poor understanding of the pathogenesis of heart failure in patients with diabetes mellitus.