Introduction and Objectives: T2DM affects various organs of body causing micro and macrovascular disease. It is known to affect eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves and blood vessels, but its effect on lung which is a highly vascular organ, is not yet thoroughly studied. Previous studies have reported that PF are compromised in T2DM and histopathological changes have been observed in lungs in T2DM. The current study was planned to assess PF (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, PEFR, MMEFR) in T2DM patients using spirometry and to compare them with age and gender matched HV.

Methods and Materials: This was observational case control study in which 200 T2DM and 200 age and gender matched HV were enrolled. Subjects with history of smoking, any acute/chronic medical illness or on drugs which can alter PF were excluded from the study. Following detailed history, examination and routine investigations, all enrolled subjects underwent spirometry test to evaluate PF as mentioned above. Data analysis was done using SPSS software and data is presented as Mean ± SD. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Data of 192(M:F::40:152) T2DM and 191(M:F::50:141) was analysed. Mean age of study subjects was 49 ±12; BMI was 25 ±6.0, waist circumference (M:F:: 93.10±11.16: 94.13±13.78). 35.92% patient had T2DM of 5-10 years duration and 48.5% had moderate glycemic control. Among T2DM, 45.83% had normal PF as assessed by spirometry,44.26% had restrictive, 3%  had obstructive and 7% had mixed pattern of PF. HbA1c and duration of T2DM were found negatively correlated with PF.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that PF are deranged in T2DM and should be assessed with advancing T2DM to detect early PF changes in these patients. Future prospective study should be planned for involvement of lungs in T2DM independent of any lung disease.

Keywords: Pulmonary Functions (PF), Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), Healthy Volunteers (HV), Forced Expiratory Volume In 1 Sec (FEV1), Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), Maximum Mid Expiratory Flow Rate (MMEFR).

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T N Dubey

Professor and Head of Department of Medicine, Gandhi Medical College Bhopal MP, India