Evaluation of Pulmonary Functions in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been broadly recognized as the syndrome of hyperglycemia leading to various macro- and microvascular complications. The different physiological systems that have been identified as a target of these injurious effects of hyperglycemia are the excretory system, ocular system, central nervous system, and cardiovascular system. To date, not much focus has been given to the respiratory system as a possible target for the deleterious effect of hyperglycemia. Objective To assess the pulmonary functions in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and compare them with age and sex-matched healthy controls. Methods This study was conducted on one hundred and twenty-five patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a comparative number of age and sex-matched non-diabetic individuals (control group) who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. RMS Helios 401 computerized spirometer was used to assess pulmonary functions. Results The mean age of the control group and type 2 diabetics were 50.96±6.85 and 51.47±8.43 years, respectively. The results of the present study showed significantly lower values of FVC, FEV1, FEF25-75%, and MVV among diabetic subjects as compared to controls (<0.05). Conclusion We found that pulmonary function parameters in diabetic subjects were consistently lower than in healthy controls. This reduction in lung function is probably a chronic complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus.