São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Prevalence of reduced respiratory muscle strength in institutionalized elderly people.
Respiratory muscle strength is relevant to the clinical situation of elderly patients, particularly those presenting with respiratory or cardiac diseases. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the respiratory muscle strength of institutionalized elderly women, compare this with predicted values for the Brazilian population and calculate the correlation with age and anthropometric characteristics. ⋯ Respiratory muscle strength was markedly reduced in institutionalized 60 to 89-year-old women and the values demonstrated correlations with age and anthropometric characteristics.