Consequences of Type 1 and 2 Diabetes Mellitus on the Cardiovascular Regulation During Exercise: A Brief Review

INTRODUCTION: One challenging problem in patients suffering from Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is the elevate incidence of cardiovascular events. Exercise has been proved useful in reducing cardiovas-cular risks in these patients. However, both type 1 and 2 DM significantly affect the cardiovascular re-sponse during exercise. Therefore, on one side exercise is considered to be a valid therapeutic tool for DM, whereas on the other side during exercise these patients may experience troubles in the cardiovas-cular regulation. BACKGROUND: Several impairments at central and at peripheral level have been reported during exercise in both types of DM. For example, sympathetic dysfunctions have been demonstrated in type 1 and 2 DM. Furthermore, impairments in hemodynamics have been often reported. The purpose of the present paper is to briefly review the latest data on the role played by type 1 and 2 DM in the cardiovascular regulation during dynamic exercise. CONCLUSION: Hemodynamic dysfunctions may develop in both type 1 and 2 DM during exercise. How-ever, these cardiovascular dys-regulations are different between the two kinds of diabetes.