Simple screening blood test could help identify undiagnosed heart failure in people living with diabetes
Published: 30 March 2026
A large proportion of people living with diabetes may have undiagnosed heart failure, according to results from a recent trial
A large proportion of people living with diabetes may have undiagnosed heart failure, according to results from a recent trial.
The findings of the TARTAN-HF trial, which were presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Conference in New Orleans, suggest that a simple heart-failure screening programme for people living with diabetes could dramatically improve diagnosis rates, facilitate the earlier implementation of disease-modifying treatments, and may reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death.
The landmark study – led by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with AstraZeneca, Roche Diagnostics, Us2.ai, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire – found that one-in-four of patients living with diabetes who had at least one other risk factor for heart failure had undiagnosed heart failure that was detected through screening using a blood test and ultrasound scanning of the heart (echocardiography).
While heart failure is a common cardiovascular complication of diabetes, there has previously been limited evidence to support widespread screening for undiagnosed heart failure in people living with diabetes.
TARTAN-HF’s findings demonstrate the extent of unrecognised heart failure in people living with diabetes, and additionally how the condition can be easily detected using a widely available blood test (NT-proBNP) that measures how much strain the heart is under. Participants with an elevated NT-proBNP level (found in just under half of the patients screened) then had a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) performed to further investigate for a diagnosis of heart failure.
Results of the trial have the potential to support the screening strategy for people with diabetes and additional heart failure risk factors such as a history of a heart attack or kidney disease.
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.”
For the study, a multi-centre randomised control trial, over 700 people with diabetes who had at least one other risk factor for heart failure were randomly assigned either to receive heart failure screening or to continue with their usual care.
The screening uncovered a large number of previously unrecognised cases of heart failure, with approximately one in four (24.9%) people found to have the condition within six months. In contrast, only 1% in the control group were found to have heart failure whilst continuing their usual care.
Of the participants found to have heart failure, almost all had preserved ejection fraction, which can be difficult to detect without dedicated testing. Those participants were also more likely to start taking an SGLT2 inhibitor as a result of screening, a class of drug known to benefit heart failure. Use of these drugs in patients allocated to screening increased from 24% at the start of the study to 39% at six months.
Overall, participants in the screening group were less likely to experience hospitalisation for heart failure or death (3.1% versus 6.8%) over the duration of the trial, which represents a 55% reduction of risk of these events in those who underwent screening compared with usual care.
The findings suggest that screening strategies for heart failure should be considered for adoption in the care of people with diabetes.
Prof Mark Petrie, who co-led the study along with Dr Docherty, added: “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, said: “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: “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."
Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk
First published: 30 March 2026