COPD and Diabetes Mellitus: Down the Rabbit Hole

Abstract

One of the important comorbidities that has a longstanding research history in COPD is diabetes. Although there are multiple studies on COPD and diabetes, the exact links between these two conditions are still controversial. The exact prevalence of diabetes in COPD varies between 2 and 37 %. The true nature of this relationship is complex and may be partially related to the traditional risk factors for diabetes such as smoking, cardiovascular disease and use of steroids. However, COPD is a disease that has multiple phenotypes and is no longer regarded as a homogeneous condition. It seems that some COPD patients who overlap with asthma or the obese phenotype are at a particular risk for T2DM. The aim of this review is to analyze the prevalence, risk factors and possible interactions between COPD and diabetes mellitus.