ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Pneumologica 2018 June;57(2):36-41

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4954.18.01814-X

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Respiratory function in systemic sclerosis

Majid RAVANBAKHSH ¹, Masoud NASIRI ¹ ✉, Elham RAJAEE ², Shahin GOHARPEY ¹

¹ Department of Physical Therapy, Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; ² Department of Rheumatology, Golestan Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to compare the respiratory indices using a capnograph in patients suffering from systemic sclerosis and healthy individuals.
METHODS: Thirty patients suffering from systemic sclerosis and 30 healthy individuals were selected for the study. The respiratory indices evaluated via a capnograph were end-tidal carbon dioxide pressure (ETCO2), respiratory rate (RR), and saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO2).
RESULTS: A meaningful difference was observed between the amount of ETCO2 at P=0.000; moreover there was a difference in the amount of RR between the control group and experimental group at P=0.004. There is no significant difference in the SpO2 index between both groups (P=0.3). It is of note that there is an inverted correlation between the amount of ETCO2 and the number of years the patient has been suffering from systemic sclerosis (r=-0.42 and P=0.02).
CONCLUSIONS: Patients suffering from systemic sclerosis have less ETCO2 and higher RR values than healthy individuals. This verifies the existence of hyperventilation syndrome in such patients. With the historical extension of the disease, the symptoms become more evident in the patients.

KEY WORDS: Sclerosis - Hyperventilation - Capnography