Pulmonary function in patients with chronic stroke compared with a control group of healthy people matched by age and sex

Background Effects of chronic stroke on pulmonary function are largely unknown. Aim To compare lung volumes in people with chronic stroke with a control group of healthy people matched by age and sex, as well as to investigate the relationship between the lung volumes and functional capacity. Methods A cross-sectional study involving people with chronic stroke. Cases were matched to a control group of healthy people. Lung function and the distance walked during the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWD) were the main outcomes. Independent t-tests were used to compare pulmonary function between groups and the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess any relationship between lung volumes and the 6MWD in the stroke group. Results Sixty-six participants (24 males in each group; 56.5 +/- 15.5 years) were included. People with stroke presented significantly lower lung volumes when compared to the control group. The median of forced vital capacity (FVC) was 79% and peak expiratory flow was 64% of the reference value. The 6MWD was found to be weakly correlated with inspiratory reserve volume (r = 0.39, p = .03) and peak inspiratory flow (r = 0.35, p = .05). Conclusions People with chronic stroke show decreased lung volumes when compared with healthy people and this likely impacts on their functional capacity.