The Diabetic Lung: Time to Move from Neglect to Recognition

Abstract

Respected Editor,

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is universally recognized for its devastating microvascular and macrovascular complications. Yet one organ has been conspicuously absent from both clinical guidelines and everyday practice: the lung. A growing body of evidence compellingly positions the lung as a genuine target organ of chronic hyperglycemia, giving rise to the concept of “diabetic pneumopathy” - a term encompassing restrictive ventilatory impairment, reduced diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), accelerated lung function decline, and, in its most severe form, diabetes-induced pulmonary fibrosis (DiPF) [1]. Despite this accumulating evidence, diabetic pneumopathy remains unrecognized in major clinical guidelines, underdiagnosed in routine practice, and essentially absent from diabetes management protocols. This gap deserves urgent and deliberate attention.

Citation

Rahul Garg. The Diabetic Lung: Time to Move from Neglect to Recognition. WebLog J Pulmonol Respir Res. wjprm.2026.e1503. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20230397