Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes: epidemiology, pathogenetic mechanisms, treatment. A review

Abstract

Lately the negative impact of diabetes on lung function is increasingly studied. Diabetes is a disease that is accompanied chronic tive pulmonary disease (OPD). The complexity of this association is primarily that chronic OPD is regarded as a risk factor for diabetes. Lung dysfunction is observed in the states prior to the beginning of diabetes, such as impaired glucose tolerance and/or in patients with metabolic syndrome. The relationship between these complex nosologies is confirmed by epidemiological data, common pathogenetic mechanisms — chronic systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, hypoxia, chronic hyperglycemia, also therapeutic effects of drugs used in the treatment of both diseases, inhaled and/or systemic corticosteroids, inhaled bronchodilators, oral hypoglycemic agents. However, the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the high prevalence of diabetes in patients with chronic OPD, is still unclear and requires a detailed and in-depth study. Thus, it is actually and reasonable to conduct a scientific and clinical work on identifying and better understanding of the exact mechanisms of the association between chronic OPD and diabetes to develop methods for their correction, prevention and selection of adequate combination regimens in patients with these comorbid pathologies.