Prospective evaluation of ventilatory muscle at rest and during exercise in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ELA) and a control group

Abstract

The primary aim of this study is prospectively evaluate the functional capacity and ventilatory muscle function in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). To do these measurements will be perform at rest and during an exercise test. Secondly, we evaluate the functional capacity, quality of life, physical activity level and ability to generate peripheral and respiratory muscle strength in this patient population and compare with a control group, in addition, we will follow then for 6 months to investigating the rate decline of functional capacities. Static maneuvers of spirometry test to assess the lung volumes and capacities and maxima inspiratory and expiratory pressures maneuvers to assess ability of theses muscles to generate power have been using in a population of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to determine prognostic values and prescribe non invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV). Besides that, it laboratory tests had not been great sensibility to detected the diaphragmatic muscle weakness in early stage ALS patients. Our expectation to mean goal has been finding an impairment in respiratory muscle function (ie.: diaphragmatic weakness), increased dyspnea symptom, assincronic thoraco-abdominal movement, lower capacity to generate muscle strength, as well as, lower levels of physical activity in patients with ALS compared to a control group. We hope that, using innovative assessment tools for early diagnosis of respiratory muscles weakness in patients with ALS may accelerate the handling therapeutic interventions for the physicians, minimizing symptoms and eventually improving the functional capacity and healthy related of quality of life. The results of measurements not only to rest, but during a physical exercise may be the great difference to the better physiological understanding of the disease, especially in early stages of ALS. (AU)