Changes in Respiratory Mechanics Associated with Different Degrees of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is associated with the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra causing classic motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, resting tremor and stiffness, in addition to non-motor symptoms such as respiratory disorders. The aim of this paper is to improve our knowledge about the pathophysiological changes in the respiratory system of individuals with PD, in different degrees of disease using respiratory oscillometry. The results obtained in never-smoking 30 patients with PD (12 level 0-1.5 and 18 level 2-3) were compared with 20 controls. There was a significant decrease in mean reactance Xm (ANOVA p = 0.008), significant increase in resonance frequency (ANOVA p < 0.0001) and reactance area (ANOVA p = 0.045). There was no significant difference in mean and total resistance in the 0-1.5 and 2-3 groups compared to the control group. Peripheral resistance, in contrast, were increased in these groups (p < 0.05). The resonance frequency was also higher in in the 0-1.5 and 2-3 groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The results are consistent with the pathophysiology of PD. Respiratory oscillometry contributes to improving our knowledge about the changes that occur during the worsening of the disease. In addition, the analyses carried out indicate that this method has great potential for application in the functional evaluation of patients with PD in the initial stages of the disease.