Respiratory function and upper limb functionality in people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia

• Autor(a) principal: Paixão, Cátia Filipa Pinto da
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/24328
• topic: Dementia; Mild cognitive impairment; Reference values; Respiratory function; Upper limb functionality

Background: Cognitive decline is the main cause of disability and dependency in older people, leading to decreased lung function and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). However, in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, little attention has been given to the assessment of respiratory function, and functional capacity studies have been focused on lower limb when upper limb plays a key role in ADL. Aim: To characterise the respiratory function and upper limb functionality of people with MCI or dementia. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional and exploratory study was conducted in people with MCI or dementia recruited in nursing homes, day care centres and long term care facilities. The sociodemographic, anthropometric and clinical data were collected with a structured questionnaire based on the checklist of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. The lung function (peak expiratory flow-PEF), respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory, expiratory, and nasal inspiratory pressures-MIP/MEP/SNIP) and upper limb functionality (Grocery Shelving Task-GST) were assessed. Results: Sixty-one participants (62.7% ♀, 76.2±5.1 years) were recruited: 21 people with MCI/dementia institutionalised, 22 community-dwelling people with MCI/dementia, and 18 healthy older people. Lung function (PEF: 171.1±53.2 vs 266.5±82.5 vs 357.5±46.4 L/min, p <0.001), respiratory muscle strength (MIP [-25.9±-10.1 vs -41.7±-10.0 vs -90.9±-21.9 cmH2O; p<0.001], MEP [48.3±21.3 vs 69.9±20.2 vs 112.1±17.8 cmH2O; p<0.001] and SNIP [25.6±8.0 vs 45.3±23.2 vs 81.8±22.0 cmH2O; p<0.001); upper limb functionality (GST: 112.2±41.1 vs 69.4±34.2 vs 32.8±4.2 s; p <0.001) were significantly lower in people with MCI/dementia institutionalised than those community-dwelling and both groups presented lower values than healthy older people. Conclusion: Given the relevance of respiratory function and upper limb functionality to the quality of life of people with MCI or dementia, these results emphasize the need for routine evaluation of these parameters in these populations to develop personalized interventions as early as possible