Dyspnoea and pulmonary dysfunction have recently been associated with Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. The putative role of altered pulmonary mechanics and of performance of inspiratory muscles in inducing dyspnoea has not been yet assessed in Type I diabetes. To better focus on this topic we evaluated nine patients with Type I diabetes mellitus, aged 19 to 48 years with good and stable metabolic control, without a history of smoking and microvascular complications, alongside a group of 14 healthy control subjects. In each subject, pulmonary volumes, static and dynamic compliance, pleural pressure swings (Pplsw), maximal inspiratory pressures (Pplsn), Pplsw(%Pplsn), a measure of respiratory muscle effort, and tension–time index [TTI = TI/TTOT×Pplsw(%Pplsn)] were measured (TI = inspiratory time;TTOT = total time of the respiratory cycle). All subjects were studied at baseline and during hypoxic rebreathing. Patients had normal pulmonary volumes. During hypoxic rebreathing, a normal change in respiratory muscle effort [ΔPplsw(%Pplsn)/ΔSaO2] and ΔTTI/ΔSaO2, and a lower change in tidal volume versus change in oxygen saturation [ΔVT(% vital capacity)/ΔSaO2], resulted in a higher ratio of respiratory effort to tidal volume [Pplsw(%Pplsn)/VT(% vital capacity)], a measure of neuroventilatory dissociation of the respiratory pump. Hypoxic dyspnoea, assessed by a modified Borg scale, showed a greater rate of rise (ΔBorg/ΔSaO2) and a greater increase for a given level of respiratory effort in patients. Moreover, neuroventilatory dissociation related to the expression of peripheral airway involvement, as assessed in terms of low dynamic compliance, and to concurrent change in dyspnoea sensation. Patients with Type I diabetes mellitus under good metabolic control and with normal lung volumes may have abnormal peripheral airway function. The latter is thought to be responsible for the association between dyspnoea sensation and neuroventilatory dissociation.
