Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May;40(5):e15036.
doi: 10.1111/dme.15036. Epub 2023 Jan 10.

Respiratory function in uncomplicated type 1 diabetes: Blunted during exercise even though normal at rest!

Islem Jlali  1 , Elsa Heyman  1   2 , Régis Matran  3 , Gaelle Marais  1 , Aurélien Descatoire  4 , Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret  5   6   7   8   9 , Imen Touil  10 , Mehdi Pawlak-Chaouch  1 , Patrick Mucci  1 , Pierre Fontaine  11 , Georges Baquet  1 , Sémah Tagougui  1   5
Affiliations

Respiratory function in uncomplicated type 1 diabetes: Blunted during exercise even though normal at rest!

Islem Jlali et al. Diabet Med. 2023 May.

Abstract

Aims: Type 1 diabetes is associated with a substantially increased risk of impaired lung function, which may impair aerobic fitness. We therefore aimed to examine the ventilatory response during maximal exercise and the pulmonary diffusion capacity function at rest in individuals with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes.

Methods: In all, 17 adults with type 1 diabetes free from micro-macrovascular complications (glycated haemoglobin: 8.0 ± 1.3%), and 17 non-diabetic adults, carefully matched to the type 1 diabetes group according to gender, age, level of physical activity and body composition, participated in our study. Lung function was assessed by spirometry and measurements of the combined diffusing capacity for nitric oxide (DLNO) and carbon monoxide (DLCO) at rest. Subjects performed a maximal exercise test during which the respiratory parameters were measured.

Results: At rest, DLCO (30.4 ± 6.1 ml min-1 mmHg-1 vs. 31.4 ± 5.7 ml min-1 mmHg-1 , respectively, p = 0.2), its determinants Dm (membrane diffusion capacity) and Vc (pulmonary capillary volume) were comparable among type 1 diabetes and control groups, respectively. Nevertheless, spirometry parameters (forced vital capacity = 4.9 ± 1.0 L vs. 5.5 ± 1.0 L, p < 0.05; forced expiratory volume 1 = 4.0 ± 0.7 L vs. 4.3 ± 0.7 L, p < 0.05) were lower in individuals with type 1 diabetes, although in the predicted normal range. During exercise, ventilatory response to exercise was different between the two groups: tidal volume was lower in type 1 diabetes vs. individuals without diabetes (p < 0.05). Type 1 diabetes showed a reduced VO2max (34.7 ± 6.8 vs. 37.9 ± 6.3, respectively, p = 0.04) in comparison to healthy subjects.

Conclusions: Individuals with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes display normal alveolar-capillary diffusion capacity and at rest, while their forced vital capacity, tidal volumes and VO2 are reduced during maximal exercise.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02051504.

Keywords: diffusion capacity; maximal exercise; micro-macrovascular complication; pulmonary function; spirometry; type 1 diabetes; ventilatory response.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

REFERENCES

    1. Heyman E, Daussin F, Wieczorek V, et al. Muscle oxygen supply and use in type 1 diabetes, from ambient air to the mitochondrial respiratory chain: is there a limiting step? Diabetes Care. 2020;43(1):209-218.
    1. van den Borst B, Gosker HR, Zeegers MP, Schols AMWJ. Pulmonary function in diabetes: a metaanalysis. Chest. 2010;138(2):393-406.
    1. Esposito F, Mathieu-Costello O, Shabetai R, Wagner PD, Richardson RS. Limited maximal exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure: partitioning the contributors. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2010;55(18):1945-1954.
    1. Tagougui S, Leclair E, Fontaine P, et al. Muscle oxygen supply impairment during exercise in poorly controlled type 1 diabetes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015;47(2):231-239.
    1. Strojek K, Ziora D, Sroczynski JW, Oklek K. Pulmonary complications of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. Diabetologia. 1992;35(12):1173-1176.

Publication types

Associated data