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. 2019 Jan 3;19(1):2.
doi: 10.1186/s12902-018-0328-1.

Impact of diabetes mellitus on functional exercise capacity and pulmonary functions in patients with diabetes and healthy persons

Krzysztof Kuziemski  1 , Wojciech Słomiński  2 , Ewa Jassem  3
Affiliations

Impact of diabetes mellitus on functional exercise capacity and pulmonary functions in patients with diabetes and healthy persons

Krzysztof Kuziemski et al. BMC Endocr Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Chronic diabetic complications may afflict all organ tissues, including those of the respiratory system. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is an alternative and widely used method of assessing functional capacity and is simple to perform. However, to our knowledge, the impact of diabetes mellitus on 6MWT performance has not been investigated previously. This research aimed to compare the functional exercise capacity and pulmonary functions in patients with diabetes and in healthy persons.

Methods: The study included 131 participants: 64 patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and 67 healthy participants (CG). All of the participants were nonsmoking and did not have pulmonary disorders that affected the pulmonary function tests or 6MWT. Metabolic parameters and biochemical markers of inflammation were assessed. Full lung function tests and a 6MWT were performed.

Results: In the DM group, the walking distance was 109 m shorter than that in the CG (P < 0.001). Moreover, compared to the CG, the DM group showed lower values of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1 (l) 3.6 vs. 2.8, P < 0.001) and total lung capacity (TLC (l) 6.6 vs. 5.6, P < 0.001), as well as a decrease in diffusion capacity (DLCO (mmol/min/kPa), 10.0 vs. 8.6, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The 6MWT is a valuable test that complements the assessment of daily physical capacity in patients with diabetes, irrespective of type. Pulmonary function and the capacity for physical exertion varied between patients with diabetes mellitus and the healthy participants in the CG.

Keywords: 6-min walk test; Lung diffusion capacity; Physical capacity; Pulmonary function tests; Spirometry.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study was approved by the Independent Bioethics Committee of Scientific Research at the Medical University of Gdansk, Poland (NKEBN/14/2006). Written informed consents were obtained from all subjects.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Results of 6MWT in diabetic and nondiabetic participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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