Measurement of respiratory muscle strength is performed through static measurements of maximal respiratory pressures and is an important tool for determining the existence and prognosis of neuromuscular and pulmonary disorders, such as weakness or fatigue of this musculature. Objectives: To evaluate and compare respiratory muscle strength among healthy adult and elderly women. Methods: A total of 163 healthy women were recruited through convenience sampling at the family centers of the city of Manaus (AM, Brazil), divided into two groups: adult women (age 20 - 59 years) and elderly women (over 60 years of age). The evaluation was performed by Manovacuometry, in order to measure the maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP). For statistical analysis we used the Student’s T test, considering significant p value ≤ 0.05. Results: The final sample consisted of 116 adult women and 47 elderly women. The mean age in the group of women between 20 - 59 years was 44.5 ± 12 and the elderly group was 65 ± 6.6. MIP values in adult women were significantly higher when compared to the elderly (−108 ± 5.3 cmH2O × −79.5 ± 4 cmH2O, p = 0.0014, respectively). The same behavior was observed in the evaluation of MEP (87.1 ± 2.9 cmH2O in adults and 69.8 ± 3.5 cmH2O in the elderly; p = 0.0008). Conclusion: The results indicate that inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength is lower in older women, suggesting that the aging process tends to interfere with those muscles, resulting in altered respiratory system function.
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