RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a systemic inflammatory disease that can cause repercussions on respiratory muscles and body composition. The aim of the current study was to evaluate inspiratory muscle strength, diaphragmatic mobility, and body composition in COPD subjects and to correlate these variables. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study performed with 21 COPD patients. Inspiratory muscle strength (manovacuometry), pulmonary function test (forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1 ], and FEV1 /FVC ratio), diaphragmatic mobility (ultrasonography), and body composition (bioelectrical impedance analysis) were examined. RESULTS: COPD individuals in Stages II (28.9%), III (52%), and IV (19%) according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Disease were recruited, 61.9% of which were men. Inspiratory muscle weakness was found in 47.6% of subjects, who presented a lower fat-free mass percentage (p = 0.017) and smaller fat-free mass index (p = 0.001) and greater fat mass percentage (p = 0.029) and less diaphragmatic mobility (p = 0.007) compared with the nonrespiratory weakness group. Maximal inspiratory pressure exhibited a moderately positive relationship to the fat-free mass index (r = 0.767, p < 0.001) and a weak positive relationship to diaphragmatic mobility (r = 0.496, p = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Our study showed a high prevalence of inspiratory muscle weakness based on the severity of airway obstruction and on the presence of muscular depletion. The evaluation of body composition detected important changes. It also demonstrated that not only muscular weakness was present in these patients but also this had repercussions on the mobility of the diaphragm muscle.
Assuntos
Composição Corporal , Diafragma/fisiopatologia , Debilidade Muscular/fisiopatologia , Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica/fisiopatologia , Mecânica Respiratória/fisiologia , Músculos Respiratórios/fisiopatologia , Idoso , Estudos Transversais , Diafragma/diagnóstico por imagem , Feminino , Volume Expiratório Forçado , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Força Muscular/fisiologia , Debilidade Muscular/diagnóstico por imagem , Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica/diagnóstico por imagem , Amplitude de Movimento Articular , Testes de Função Respiratória , Músculos Respiratórios/diagnóstico por imagem , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Capacidade VitalRESUMO
The aim of this study was to verify the effects of the Pilates Method (PM) training program on the thickness of the abdominal wall muscles, respiratory muscle strength and performance, and lung function. This uncontrolled clinical trial involved 16 sedentary women who were assessed before and after eight weeks of PM training. The thickness of the transversus abdominis (TrA), internal oblique (IO) and external oblique (EO) muscles was assessed. The respiratory muscle strength was assessed by measuring the maximum inspiratory (MIP) and expiratory (MEP) pressure. The lung function and respiratory muscle performance were assessed by spirometry. An increase was found in MIP (p = 0.001), MEP (p = 0.031), maximum voluntary ventilation (p = 0.020) and the TrA (p < 0.001), IO (p = 0.002) and EO (p < 0.001) thickness after the PM program. No alterations in lung function were found. These findings suggest that the PM program promotes abdominal wall muscle hypertrophy and an increase in respiratory muscle strength and performance, preventing weakness in abdominal muscles and dysfunction in ventilatory mechanics, which could favor the appearance of illnesses.