Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is accompanied by wide spread biochemical, morphological, and functional abnormalities which may precipitate certain complications that affect the neural, cardiovascular, renal systems, and also organs and tissues like skin, liver, collagen, and elastic fibers. This study was thus conducted to determine the pattern of pulmonary function abnormalities among patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) at the outpatient clinic of M.GM Medical College. Materials & Methods: Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were recorded in 50 diabetic patients and 50 normal healthy controls aged 30-60 years by using Helios 702 spirometer. The PFTs recorded were - FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF25, FEF50, FEF75, FEF25–75, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). HbA1c of all the patients was estimated by ion exchange resin method. PFTs of diabetic patients and controls were compared by applying Student′s unpaired t test. Associations between FVC and FEV1 and HbA1c and duration of illness in diabetic patients were analyzed by applying Pearson′s coefficient. Results: Mean & SD value of fasting plasma glucose 149.2 ±75.6 for case and for control group the value was 92.8 ±17.6. For case group we found 66% (33) patients in restriction category and for control group the number was 7 (14%) and the found in statistically significant. We found 12 patients with mild, 25 patients with moderate and 13 patients with high severity. Conclusion: In the present study all the pulmonary parameters, that is, FVC, FEV₁, PEF, FEF_25-75, MVV and FEV₁/ FVC were statistically significant. On correlating the FVC and FEV1 with duration of illness and HbA1c, we found that there was no significant correlation between them.

Dr Ichchhit Bharat