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

Effects of chronic stroke on pulmonary function are largely unknown.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.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.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).People with chronic stroke show decreased lung volumes when compared with healthy people and this likely impacts on their functional capacity.