Reduced Lung Function and Progression to Prediabetes: A Prospective Study

Objective: Prediabetes is a state that people have blood glucose levels higher than normal but still not in diabetes range. There is a close relationship between impaired lung function and diabetes mellitus (DM). Reduced lung function can be present before the clinical evidence of diabetes or insulin resistance. Materials and Methods: The total number of subjects in this longitudinal study was 503 and compared with apparently healthy Kashmiri adults. All the subjects, at the time of their first visit, underwent Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) estimation, 2- hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and spirometry (FVC, FEV1 FEV1/FVC). Those subjects who had normal glucose tolerance (NGT) were retested for glycemic status and spirometric values after a follow-up period of 2-18 (mean=10) months. Results: Out of total 503 subjects on follow up 483 (96%) had NGT and 20 (4%) had prediabetes. Percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) and % predicted forced expiratory volume in 1st second (FEV1) were significantly lower (P-value 0.001) while as % predicted FEV1/FVC was significantly higher (P-value 0.001) in prediabetes as compared to NGT group. Conclusion: Results of our study point out a predominantly restrictive pattern of lung dysfunction in the prediabetes group as compared to the NGT group.