Evaluation of the impact of the practice of wind instruments on musicians respiratory function

• Autor(a) principal: Moreira, Pedro
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Silva, Vanessa, Teixeira, Verónica, Clérigo, Anália, Carolino, Elisabete
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/14908
• topic: Wind instrument players; Spirometry; Whole-body plethysmography; Respiratory muscle testing; Respiratory control; Professional wind instrument players

Introduction: For the practice of a wind instrument, respiratory control is the technical skill with the greatest impact on sound production. The growing number of published articles reflects the lack of consensus about this theme. Hence the pertinence of this study, whose general goal is to assess the impact of the practice of a wind instrument on the respiratory function of musicians. Methodology: A formulary was used for data collection. Were performed 51 forced spirometries on non-smokers musicians, older than 18 years and without diagnosed respiratory pathologies. Subsequently, 23 individuals performed whole-body plethysmography and the study of maximum expiratory pressures. The impact of the practice of wind instruments on the respiratory function of wind instruments players, of several instruments family (brass or wood), in relation to the years of musical practice and regularity of performance of the instrument (amateurs or professional musicians) was assessed. The spirometric values were also compared with the ECCS equations and the Quanjer equations. Statistical analysis was executed with the IBM SPSS statistical software (version 22). Results: The spirometric results (FVC, FEV1/FVC ratio, and FEV1) were lower when the Quanjer equations were used as reference. There were no statistically significant differences in spirometry, between amateurs and professionals, the same happened when we compared the spirometry results considering the wind instruments family. The years of wind instrument practice appear to have a negative impact on respiratory function. As for respiratory muscles, the measured MEP values were significantly higher in musicians practicing brass instruments. In the evaluation of the non-mobilized volumes, there were no statistically significant differences between the RV%, TLC%, and RV/TLC% parameters obtained between brass and wood instruments, as well as the years of musical practice and the regularity of execution. Discussion/Conclusion: The practice of wind instruments doesn’t seem to have a negative impact on the respiratory function of the studied musicians. The use of the 5th percentile, obtained through Quanjer equations, is free of bias due to age, height, gender, and ethnic groups are variables considered in the formula of the Quanjer equation and should be applied to the detriment of the 70% cut-off referred by GOLD, which can overdiagnose older individuals and generate many false positives in a larger population. The years of musical practice appear to have a negative impact on expiratory flow rates, yet the years of practice do not reflect the periodicity in which the musician plays the wind instrument, which means that this result may be the consequence of another factor. The maximum expiratory pressures were higher in the brass players, possibly due to the training that is necessary to perform these instruments, which have high resistance. Although the article in question contributes to the lack of consensus in the literature, further studies involving other LFTs and other parameters related to the practice of wind instruments are necessary.