Revista Multidisciplinar Do Nordeste Mineiro · May 27, 2026
Evaluation of expiratory muscle training in older adults with Parkinson's disease
By dos Santos BMG, Pereira ADDL, VIDAL BMDS et al.
INTRODUCTION: Respiratory changes are common nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (DP) that lead to impaired functional status. Respiratory rehabilitation is a program with a positive impact on respiratory function, reducing dyspnea and increasing exercise tolerance OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of expiratory muscle training on expiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function in older adults with DP. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental before-and-after study in older adults with DP conducted at the Associação de Parkinson de Pernambuco (ASP). A sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire was administered, muscle strength was assessed using a respiratory pressure meter, and pulmonary function was assessed using a spirometer. The protocol consisted of 12 sessions of expiratory muscle training with the Power Breathe EX-LR twice a week for six weeks. The Wilcoxon test and the Mann–Whitney test were used, and Spearman's correlation was used to assess associations between ordinal and continuous variables, with a significance level of p< 0.05. RESULTS: Among the 32 eligible individuals, 15 were able to complete the protocol; of these, 66.7% were men aged 60-69 years, 60% had a disease duration of up to three years, and 53.3% were in the early stages of the disease. A significant difference in maximal expiratory pressure (PEmáx) was observed before and after the protocol (p < 0.0203). CONCLUSIONS: It was demonstrated that older adults with DP may have reduced expiratory muscle strength in the early stages of the disease, and expiratory muscle training contributed positively to improving this strength and maintaining pulmonary function, highlighting the importance of respiratory assessment and physical therapy intervention in this population.