Effects of phenoterol and histamine on lung function in patients with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate airway reactivity in patients with diabetes mellitus. We examined 68 patients with diabetes mellitus of 16 to 66 years of age. Of them, 29 patients (20 with diabetes mellitus type 1 and 9 with diabetes mellitus type 2) were tested with phenoterol (the 1st group). The 2nd group patients (12 with diabetes mellitus type 1 and 27 with diabetes mellitus type 2) were examined with histamine challenge test. Bronchodilator test (ΔFEV₁ > 200 ml or > 12 % of the baseline value) was positive in 6 (20.7 %) patients, five of them had diabetes type 1. The histamine challenge test was positive in 9 patients with diabetes type 2 (23.1 %). This was an evidence of significant bronchial hyperreactivity. A qualitative analysis using Fisher's discriminant criterion revealed the following correlations: 1) between bronchial hyperreactivity and a type of diabetes mellitus; 2) between bronchial hyperreactivity and administration of oral antidiabetic drugs. Correlations between bronchial hyperreactivity, body mass index, duration of the disease and late complications of diabetes mellitus were not revealed. In conclusion, the positive bronchodilator test predominated in patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 and bronchial hyperreactivity for histamine was mainly detected in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. This could be considered as an evidence of different mechanisms of bronchoconstriction in patients with diabetes mellitus types 1 and 2. Generally, susceptibility to bronchoconstriction may be an unfavorable factor for occurrence of nonspecific lung disease in patients with diabetes mellitus.