Respiratory Myopathy in Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Background and Objectives: The incidence of Type II diabetes mellitus is on the rise in developing countries. It is well known that this metabolic disorder leads to a variety of multi-system complications, mainly in the eye, kidney, heart, and the nervous system. Since diabetes affects almost all systems of the body, much importance is given to micro-angiopathy, macroangiopathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy. The most neglected system in diabetes is the respiratory system. Hence, this study was done to determine the respiratory muscle weakness in Type II diabetes mellitus. Methods: This study design included 45 type II diabetic patients and 47 healthy non-diabetic volunteers (the sample size was adequate and the sample size calculation was done by our statistician). Pulmonary function tests were done by computerized spirometry (RMS Polyrite). The data which were obtained were analyzed statistically by using the Students 't'-test. Interpretation and Conclusion: There was a consistent reduction in the spirometry parameters in type II diabetes; this could probably be due to respiratory muscle weakness or phrenic nerve demyelination.