Detecting and predicting the respiratory muscle dysfunction in patients with occupational respiratory diseases

Objectives. To assess the association between anthropometric and functional parameters and respiratory muscle strength in patients with occupational respiratory diseases (ORD), identify predictors of respiratory muscle dysfunction (RMD) and develop predictive models for its early detection. Material and methods. The study included 102 patients with chronic occupational bronchitis (COB; n=34), occupational COPD (OCOPD; n=38), pneumoconiosis (Pn; n=30) and 23 healthy volunteers. Anthropometry, spirometry, the 6-minute walk test (6-MWT) and measurements of respiratory and peripheral muscle strength were performed. Bayesian analysis with Wald’s sequential test and logistic regression were used to predict the risk of RMD. Results. Significant reduction in both respiratory and peripheral muscle strength was observed in all ORD groups (p