A major health concern has come to light for people living with diabetes. A recent large-scale study has revealed that a significant number of diabetes patients may be living with undiagnosed heart failure—often without even realizing it. The encouraging part, however, is that a simple blood test combined with a heart scan can help detect the condition early.
The findings come from the landmark TARTAN-HF trial, presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Conference in New Orleans. The study highlights how a structured screening programme for heart failure in people with diabetes can significantly improve diagnosis rates, enable timely treatment, and potentially reduce hospitalisations and deaths.
Conducted by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with global healthcare leaders including AstraZeneca and Roche Diagnostics, the study found that nearly one in four diabetes patients—who also had at least one additional risk factor—were living with undiagnosed heart failure. These cases were identified through a combination of a widely available blood test (NT-proBNP) and echocardiography (heart ultrasound).
What makes this finding particularly important is that heart failure symptoms are often vague and easily overlooked. Many patients may not recognise early warning signs, allowing the condition to progress silently.
Dr Kieran Docherty, Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health, said: “Our results from the landmark TARTAN-HF trial, show that we identified heart failure in a large proportion of people living with diabetes, emphasising the need for a heart failure screening strategy in this group of patients.
“We know that many of the symptoms and signs of heart failure are non-specific and may go unrecognised as potentially being due to heart failure for a long time. The strategy used in our trial is simple and easy-to-implement in clinical practice and will aid in the early identification of heart failure in people with diabetes and facilitate the initiation of medications that we know improve outcomes in patients with heart failure.”
The study involved over 700 participants with diabetes and additional risk factors such as a history of heart attack or kidney disease. Participants were divided into two groups—one underwent heart failure screening, while the other continued with standard care.
The results were striking. Within six months, about 24.9% of those screened were diagnosed with heart failure, compared to just 1% in the control group. Moreover, those identified early were more likely to receive effective treatments, including SGLT2 inhibitors—drugs known to improve heart failure outcomes.
Even more importantly, the screening group showed better health outcomes overall. The risk of hospitalisation or death due to heart failure was reduced by 55% (3.1% vs 6.8%) compared to those receiving usual care.
Prof Mark Petrie, co-lead of the study, mentioned that, “The results of TARTAN-HF demonstrate that screening for heart failure could significantly benefit people living with diabetes. Identifying heart failure early also allows clinicians to effectively treat patients with the proper drugs.”
“Further screening strategies could help identify other undiagnosed cardiovascular conditions, including atrial fibrillation and aortic stenosis. Going forward, larger trials in other regions and countries would be beneficial to more widely demonstrate the performance of heart failure screening in these patients.”
Dr Edward Piper, Medical Director, AstraZeneca UK, added, “Delayed diagnosis and treatment of Heart Failure in people with type 2 diabetes contributes to poor long-term outcomes. TARTAN-HF demonstrates that targeted, risk-based screening can identify previously undiagnosed heart failure in approximately one in four high-risk patients with diabetes enabling earlier intervention with guideline-directed therapy. At AstraZeneca we're committed to working with academic partners to turn strong science into practical solutions that have the potential to transform patient care."
Dr Christian Simon, Head of Global Medical Affairs at Roche Diagnostics, said that, “We are proud to have supported the landmark TARTAN-HF trial. These findings demonstrate the transformative power of early, accessible diagnostics like the NT-proBNP blood test. By identifying unrecognised heart failure in people with diabetes, we enable clinicians to initiate appropriate treatments sooner, ultimately improving patient outcomes and lives."
The study strongly suggests that adopting routine heart failure screening for diabetes patients—especially those at higher risk—could be a crucial step in improving long-term health outcomes and saving lives.
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