Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a pulmonary pathology associated with numerous systemic manifestations, among them musculoskeletal dysfunction. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare respiratory and peripheral muscle strength in patients with COPD and healthy individuals. This is a cross-sectional, analytical and observational study, in which 18 individuals were evaluated, nine of them with COPD and nine healthy. Femoral quadriceps neuromuscular performance (assessed by means of isokinetic dynamometry), handgrip strength (manual dynamometer) and maximum respiratory pressure (manovacuometry) were evaluated. Data were expressed by mean and standard deviation, analyzed in the SPSS 20.0 statistical package. Significance level of 5% and confidence interval of 95% for all measures were considered. Individuals with COPD had lower quadriceps femoral neuromuscular performance and lower respiratory pressures than healthy subjects; however, there was a statistically significant difference only for muscle power and MIP (p <0.05). Handgrip strength was higher in individuals with COPD (p <0.05). individuals with COPD have neuromuscular changes in peripheral and respiratory muscles that may possibly cause reduced functional performance.
Highlights
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable condition characterized by persistent, progressive and partially reversible obstruction of the airways, associated with abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases[1]
COPD is a primarily pulmonary disease, the natural history of COPD is associated with numerous systemic manifestations and comorbidities, such as significant weight loss, respiratory muscle weakness, decreased strength and/or endurance of upper and lower limb musculature, osteoporosis, mood disturbance, anemia, and hormonal imbalance
This difficulty is partially due to changes in respiratory mechanics associated with the disease, so that muscles required for upper limb activities are necessary for breathing[9]
Summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable condition characterized by persistent, progressive and partially reversible obstruction of the airways, associated with abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases[1]. The peripheral muscles, especially the lower limbs, become underutilized due to the lifestyle adopted by these patients, leading to muscular deconditioning and/or atrophy by disuse, reducing muscle mass and oxidative capacity, making them more susceptible to fatigue[6,7,8]. This difficulty is partially due to changes in respiratory mechanics associated with the disease, so that muscles required for upper limb activities are necessary for breathing[9]
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