OBSTRUCTIVE RESPIRATORY DYSFUNCTION IN PARKINSONIAN PATIENTS

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Abstract
The effects of dysfunction of the respiratory musculature, secondary to the basal ganglia disease of the central nervous system found in this disorder, on the functional integrity of the respiratory system were investigated on 23 patients. An obstructive type of respiratory dysfunction was characteristic and correlated significantly with the severity of the disability caused by parkinsonism, the degree of rigidity present, and the presence of tremor. Respiratory pathology included reduction in maximal mid-tidal flows, an increase in the total respiratory resistance, increases in the indices of poor distribution of ventilation, and an increase in the functional residual capacity and in the residual volume expressed as percentage to total lung capacity. There was no evidence of alveolar hypoventilation in most of the patients studied. Other pulmonary function test and clinical evaluation test data and their correlations were given. A rationale is presented that explains the obstructive defect as a possible consequence of the parasympathetic hyperactivity characteristic of the disease.