Up to half of the cases of heart failure are nonischemic in origin, and many of these patients are diagnosed with “idiopathic” dilated cardiomyopathy. Abundant evidence now demonstrates that insulin resistance is a primary etiologic factor for many of these cardiomyopathies. This article reviews the epidemiologic, clinical, and pathophysiologic evidence supporting this link.
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
Corresponding author. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Falk CVRC 295, Stanford, CA 94305-5406
ABSTRACT