The effect of physical activity in glycemia in patients with diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common endocrine disease and it is a major problem in medicine, not only for diabetic patients, but also as a general health problem. Physical activity was accepted as a therapeutic approach in diabetic patients.

The objective of this study was to assess the role of physical activity in DM patients and in their values of glycaemia. The other objective of our study was to see the reduction of medicament's therapy in these patients by physical activity.

The study was done in Service of Endocrinology, Internal Medicine Clinic and in Clinic of Physiatry and Orthopedy, University Clinic Center in Prishtina, from January 2003 till March 2004. In our study were included 96 (58 female and 38 male) consecutive patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, according to the diagnostic criteria by new definition from of World Health Organization and American Society of Diabetes, (fast glycaemia > or = 7 mmol/L, founded two times consequently). According to these criteria, 46 patients were with type 1 diabetes mellitus, whereas 50 patients were with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Physical activity is applied 10 days consequently, after a psychological preparation and treatment of the patient according the standard protocol to physic activity for diseased with diabetes mellitus. The assessment of glycaemia was done before and after physic acctivity.

The glycaemia level was decreased by physical activity in DM type 1 patients for 25.0 mg/dl in male and for 30.4 mg/dl in female, respectively. Also in DM type 2 patients, the glycaemia was decreased by physical activity 25.4 mg/dl in male and for 18.0 mg/dl in female, respectively. At female patients with diabetes mellitus-type 1 after physical activity there was a decrease in glycaemia levels compared to patients with diabetes mellitus-type 2. There was not significant difference between male and female in the decrease f the glycaemia by physical activity.

in diabetes mellitus patients, physical activity decreases the level of glycaemia. There is no important difference between gender and type in the effect of physical activity on glycaemia, in these patients. Physical activity in these patients does not need the important circumstances and has a low cost effectiveness. We recommend that physical activity should be a part of the treatment of diabetes mellitus patients.