COMPARISON OF PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE IN TYPE II DIABETICS WITH NON -DIABETICS

Type II Diabetes mellitus comprises 90 percent of people with diabetes. Like other target organs, lung is also affected by diabetes. This study was done to compare Peak Expiratory Flow rate in diabetics with non-diabetics and to correlate PEFR with duration of diabetes. In this study 40 type II diabetics with the age group of 35-50 yrs with 5-10 yrs duration are compared with 40 non-diabetic groups. PEFR was done by using mini Wrights Peak Flow meter. The results were analyzed using students t test and Pearsons correlation coefficient test. PEFR showed significant reduction in Type II diabetics, when compared to non-diabetic groups. PEFR also showed negative correlation with the duration of diabetes. Reduction in pulmonary function and its negative correlation might be due to respiratory muscle weakness. Hence, regular breathing exercises and strict glycemic control would improve the lung function in diabetics.