Natriuretic peptide screening found heart failure in one in four high-risk patients with diabetes

The edition in brief

TARTAN-HF randomised 706 community adults with diabetes and at least one heart failure risk factor in the west of Scotland to NT-proBNP screening (echocardiography if 125 pg/mL or above) or usual care. At six months heart failure had been diagnosed in 24.6% of the screened group against 1% with usual care; the number needed to screen was 5, most cases had preserved ejection fraction, and SGLT2 inhibitor use rose from 24% to 39%. The trial measured diagnostic yield, not outcomes. A US claims study of 27,650 adults with laboratory-confirmed diabetes found only 66.6% had both a diagnosis code and drug treatment within a year; 9.6% had neither, and more comorbidity meant less follow-through. A 134-patient Chinese trial of a 12-week structured self-management programme in people with type 2 diabetes at high risk of kidney disease reported improvements in HbA1c, eGFR, systolic pressure and LDL cholesterol, but not albuminuria. FDA lists Class II recalls of compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide injections, some combined with cyanocobalamin, for lack of sterility assurance.