Are ventilatory impairments related to early onset and long history of diabetes?

ABSTRACT

Spirometric measurements were done on 20 elderly patients (average age 49 years) of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus with a short history of the presenting complaints (3 months to 1 year) and moderate hyperglycaemia (blood glucose 166.42 +/- 43.58 mg/dl) and were compared with age, height and weight-matched healthy controls. The results showed significant restrictive impairments in ventilation in the diabetic group, indicating that the lung volume reductions in diabetes mellitus may not be contingent upon an early age of onset or a long duration of the disease.