Effect of lymphatic drainage on blood and urinary glucose in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: preliminary study <br><b>[Abstract in English]</b>

Abstract

AIMS: To assess the immediate influence of manual lymphatic drainage in the lower limbs on capillary glycemia and urinary glucose in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Seven subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus underwent nine interventions using the Vodder method of manual lymphatic drainage. We analyzed the blood glucose and glycosuria pre-and post-manual lymph drainage. The results were analyzed using the paired t test, considering p less than 0.05 significant. RESULTS: The averages pre-manual lymph drainage for blood glucose were 215.9±129.7 mg/dL and for urinary glucose were 1288.2±2221.1 mg/dL, and for the the post-manual lymph drainage were 187.1±109.2 mg/dL for blood glucose and 1049.6±1866.0 mg/dL for urinary glucose. Both variables showed a significant difference: for capillary blood glucose, p less than 0.00001; and for urinary glucose, p=0.0321. CONCLUSIONS: Manual lymphatic drainage showed an acute effect on the blood and urinary glucose of type 1 diabetic patients.