Abstract
Respiratory dysfunctions have been associated with Parkinson’s disease since the first observations of the disease in 1817. Patients with Parkinson’s disease frequently present respiratory disorders with obstructive ventilatory patterns and restrictive modifications, as well as limitations in respiratory volumes. In addition, respiratory impairments are observed due to the rigidity and kyphosis that Parkinson’s disease patients experience. Subsidiary pulmonary complications can also appear as side effects of medication. Silent aspiration can be the cause of pneumonia in Parkinson’s disease. Pulmonary dysfunction is one of the main factors that leads to the morbidity and mortality of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Here, we performed a narrative review of the literature and reviewed studies on dyspnea, lung volumes, respiratory muscle function, sleep breathing disorders, and subsidiary speech and swallow impairments related to pulmonary dysfunction in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease is defined as a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the depletion of dopamine in the basal ganglia, which is primarily involved in motor control.Parkinson’s disease is viewed as a multisystem disease that affects systemic dopaminergic neurons
The cardinal symptoms of the disease consist of the triad of tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia, with bradykinesia being the primary symptom that has an impact on the daily activity of patients
Studies have reported a possible etiology of Parkinson’s disease to be the primary anatomical neurodegenerative involvement of structures in the medulla oblongata known to control respiratory depth and rate [3,4]. This could be the etiology of the respiratory dysfunctions in the initial stages of the disease related to lung volumes and ventilatory capacity
Summary
Parkinson’s disease is defined as a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the depletion of dopamine in the basal ganglia, which is primarily involved in motor control. Studies have reported a possible etiology of Parkinson’s disease to be the primary anatomical neurodegenerative involvement of structures in the medulla oblongata known to control respiratory depth and rate [3,4]. This could be the etiology of the respiratory dysfunctions in the initial stages of the disease related to lung volumes and ventilatory capacity. A significant number of Parkinson’s disease patients die due to pneumonia as compared with the general population [6] In his 1817 essay “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy”, James Parkinson made the first observation, “he fetched his breath rather hard,” related to the respiratory problems involved in the systemic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease [7]. Brain Sci. 2021, 11, 595 the authors observed that patients had abnormal respiratory responses to carbon dioxide rather than mild hypoxia and did not present abnormal lung volumes and flows
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