Comparison of some important breathing pattern indices in people with multiple sclerosis and healthy people

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from respiratory disorders during the course of their disease .To express disability, much of the interest was devoted to their mobility and less attention has been paid on physiological aspects such as respiration. The aim of this study was to compare some of the important indices of breathing patterns in healthy individuals and people with MS. Furthermore the correlation between duration of disease and disability scores (EDSS) with pulmonary indices were investigated.
In this descriptive analysis study, there were 32 people with MS and 32 healthy subjects. Both groups were matched and selected by some of the demographic characteristics. We investigated biochemical parameters that were assessed by measuring end-tidal CO2 pressure, saturation of O2 and respiratory rate using Capnograph. Student’s t-test was applied for independent samples. The relationships between duration of disease and EDSS with pulmonary indices were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation.
The end-tidal CO2 index had significant difference between the two groups and was lower in people with MS, whereas saturation of O2 and respiratory rate did not have significant difference. There was a significant positive correlation among the disease duration and the disability scores, but was not associated with abnormal breathing pattern.
Existence of disorders in some parameters of respiratory pattern in people with MS are revealed that survey of respiratory system in people with MS can be effective in the early diagnosis and treatment process of breathing problems in physiotherapy centers.