Respiratory Muscle Training Improves Functional Outcomes and Reduces Fatigue in Patients with Myasthenia Gravis: A Single-Center Hospital-Based Prospective Study

BioMed Research International

Ben-Chung Cheng¹  Mao-Chang Su²  Meng-Chih Lin²  Chih-Cheng Huang³  Wan-Chen Tsai³  Wen-Neng Chang³  Nai-Wen Tsai³  Che-Wei Hsu³  Hui-Chen Lin³  Cheng-Hsien Lu⁴  Yun-Ru Lai⁴  Wei-Che Lin⁵  Chia-Ling Chang⁶  Yu-Jih Su⁷ 

[1] Department of Biological Science, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, nsysu.edu.tw;Department of Nephrology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, cgu.edu.tw;Department of Chest, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, cgu.edu.tw;Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, cgu.edu.tw;Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, cgu.edu.tw;Department of Biological Science, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, nsysu.edu.tw;Department of Radiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, cgu.edu.tw;Department of Respiratory Therapy, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, cgu.edu.tw;Department of Rheumatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, cgu.edu.tw;

DOI  :  10.1155/2020/2923907

来源: publisher

【 摘 要 】

Background. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an immune-mediated disorder characterized by muscle fatigue and fluctuating weakness. Impairment in respiratory strength and endurance has been described in patients with generalized MG. We tested the hypothesis that respiratory muscle training (RMT) can improve functional outcomes and reduce fatigue in patients with MG. Methods. Eighteen patients with mild to moderate MG participated in this study. The training group underwent home-based RMT three times a week for 12 weeks. Sixteen patients with MG without RMT were enrolled as a disease control group. Lung function, autonomic testing, Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF), and functional outcome measurement by using quantitative myasthenia gravis (QMG) score and myasthenia gravis composite (MGC) scale were measured before and after the 12-week RMT. Results. The 12-week RMT significantly increased forced vital capacity (FVC) from 77.9±12.6% to 83.8±17.7% (p=0.03), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) from 75.2±18.3% to 83.3±19.0% (p=0.002), and 6-minute walking distance from 403.4±72.2 m to 466.1±68.5 m (p=0.003). The QMG score improved from 9.6±4.1 to 8.1±4.3 (p=0.04) and the MGC scale from 4.4±3.5 to 2.7±2.9 (p=0.02). The fatigue score (MFSI-SF) reduced from 17.1±14.7 to 13.5±16.9 (p=0.03). Conclusion. The home-based RMT is an effective pulmonary function training for MG patients. The RMT can not only improve short-term outcomes but also reduce fatigue in patients with mild to moderate generalized MG.

【 授权许可】

CC BY