Comparison Of Muscle Strength And Functional Exercise Performance Between The Patients With COPD And PAH

Abstract

PURPOSE: Dyspnea, fatigue, reduced exercise tolerance, peripheral muscle dysfunction and mood disorders are common features of many chronic respiratory disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences for peripheral muscle strength and functional exercise capacity between the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). METHODS: Moderate to severe 14 COPD patients with mean age 66.64 ± 9.22 years old and New York Heart Association Class II-III 22 PAH patients with mean age 61.27 ± 8.76 years old a, totally 36 patients were evaluated for this study. Peripheral muscle strength was measured by hand-held dynamometer for quadriceps femoris muscle and grip strength was evaluated by handgrip. Functional exercise capacity was measured by six-minute walk test. Differences between the groups were analysed by two independent sample t test. RESULTS: The strength of qudriceps femoris muscle for dominant extremity was 19.35 ± 5. 81 kg in patients with PAH and 32.35 ± 6.10 kg in patients with COPD. The grip strength for dominant extremity was 23.57 9.64 ± kg in patients with PAH and 30.28 ± 8.73 kg in patients with COPD There was statistically significantly decrease in muscle strength for quadriceps femoris and grip strength in favour of PAH patients between the groups (p <0.05). The functional exercise capacity was 392.72 ± 72.90 m as completing 74.4 % of predicted value in patients with PAH and 408.21 ± 70.59 m as completing 79.6 % of predicted value in patients with COPD. Although functional capacity was reduced both of the diseases there was no significantly difference between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both of patients with COPD and PAH showed declined functional exercise capacity whereas muscle strength was significantly lower in PAH patients. This result indicated that severe COPD patients and PAH patients present similar functional exercise capacity while muscle strength was affected in PAH patients more than COPD patients.