Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training in Patients With Parkinson's Disease

Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) is the most widely used measure of respiratory muscle strength in patients with suspected respiratory muscle weakness. It is determined by measuring upper airway pressure (mouth for outpatients and trachea for intubated or tracheostomized patients) during a maximal voluntary inspiratory effort. The measured pressure is a composite of the pressure generated by the inspiratory muscles and the elastic recoil pressure of the lungs and chest wall.

Forced vital capacity (FVC) is the total amount of air exhaled during the FEV test. FVC can also help doctors assess the progression of lung disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.

Forced expiratory volume (FEV) measures how much air a person can exhale during a forced breath. Forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity are lung function tests that are measured during spirometry. Forced expiratory volume is the most important measurement of lung function. It is used to:

Diagnose obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A person who has asthma or COPD has a lower FEV1 result than a healthy person.

See how well medicines used to improve breathing are working. Check if lung disease is getting worse. Decreases in the FEV1 value may mean the lung disease is getting worse.

The peak expiratory flow (PEF), also called peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), is a person's maximum speed of expiration, as measured with a peak flow meter, a small, hand-held device used to monitor a person's ability to breathe out air.

Biodex Balance System evaluations

The UPDRS scale refers to Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale, and it is a rating tool used to gauge the course of Parkinson's disease in patients. The UPDRS scale includes series of ratings for typical Parkinson's symptoms that cover all of the movement hindrances of Parkinson's disease. The UPDRS scale consists of the following five segments: 1) Mentation, Behavior, and Mood, 2) ADL, 3) Motor sections, 4) Modified Hoehn and Yahr Scale, and 5) Schwab and England ADL scale. Each answer to the scale is evaluated by a medical professional that specializes in Parkinson's disease during patient interviews.

The Rivermead Mobility Index assesses functional mobility in gait, balance and transfers. The Rivermead Mobility Index is appropriate for a range of disabilities that include anything from being bedridden to being able to run 15 items:

14-self-reported items

1 direct observation item Items progress in difficulty Items are coded as either 0 or 1, depending on whether the patient can complete the task according to specific instructions Items receive a score of 0 for a "No" response and 1 for a "Yes" response Total scores are determined by summing the points for all items A maximum of 15 points is possible; higher scores indicate better mobility performance A score of "0" indicates an inability to perform any of the activities on the measure

The Nottingham Health Profile is intended for primary health care, to provide a brief indication of a patient's perceived emotional, social and physical health problems. Breakdown of questionaire

(1) Part I: 38 questions in 6 subareas, with each question assigned a weighted value; the sum of all weighted values in a given subarea adds up to 100

• energy level (EL): 3
• pain (P): 8
• emotional reaction (ER): 9
• sleep (S): 5
• social isolation (SI): 5
• physical abilities (PA): 8

The Barthel Scale/Index (BI) is an ordinal scale used to measure performance in activities of daily living (ADL). Ten variables describing ADL and mobility are scored, a higher number being a reflection of greater ability to function independently following hospital discharge.Time taken and physical assistance required to perform each item are used in determining the assigned value of each item. The Barthel Index measures the degree of assistance required by an individual on 10 items of mobility and self care ADL.